The Princess and the Pauper
by MikeJaffa
Summary: Kyo starts acting strangely. Is he going to leave the burst angels?
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: The Princess and the Pauper

AUTHOR: MikeJaffa

SYNOPSIS: Kyo begins acting strangely. Is he going to leave the burst angels?

RATING: M/R

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the rights to Burst Angel, and I don't own the rights to the lyrics from "The Phantom of the Opera." Both are used permission, but I am not making any money off this, so please don't sue me.

AUTHOR'S APOLOGY TO ENGLISH SPEAKERS WHO HAVE BEEN TO JAPAN OR LIVE THERE: I've never been there and am going to muff the geography and the culture six ways to Sunday. Sorry. But enjoy the ride anyway.

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_"Sing once again with me_

_Our strange duet_

_My power over you_

_Grows stronger yet_

_And though you turn from me_

_To glance behind_

_The phantom of the opera is there_

_Inside your mind."_

-"The Phantom of the Opera"

Lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stigloe

…**NINE YEARS AGO**…

It was a clear night with a full moon, and so the beach was well lit as the ten year old girl of mixed Chinese and Japanese descent trudged along it, seemingly oblivious to the waves crashing near her. There was no one else in sight, but a hypothetical passer by might see the girl, note the blood on her dress, see that her hair was a mess, look behind her to the red glow of flames farther up the beach, hear the wails of emergency vehicles in the distance, and conclude the girl had been the victim of some terrible tragedy. But then our hypothetical would-be good Samaritan would also notice what the girl was carrying: In one hand, a plastic shopping bag, apparently laden with a heavy object the size of a man's hand; and in the other, a nine millimeter semiautomatic handgun, carried with the practiced ease of one familiar with such a weapon. Our hypothetical bystander would, quite rightly, conclude discretion was the better part of valor and be on his or her way, hoping the girl had not noticed his or her presence.

In spite of her vacant stare, the girl, for her part, had not been traumatized for the obvious reasons. She was, in fact, in full command of her faculties and fully aware of who she was and where she was, observing the smallest detail of everything happening around her. And yet she was also distracted. Over and over again in her mind's eyes, she saw the face of another little girl, a ten year old Japanese girl, and heard her final words:

_'Why are you doing this, Tamiko!? I love you!'_

_'My name isn't Tamiko.'_

_BANG!_

Over and over again, the scene played in her mind as she marched on.

A man's voice sounded from farther inland: "Over here - I think I've found her." He was a large man, a former sumo wrestler, incongruously wearing sunglasses at night. He jogged down to her, getting in her path, but was clearly deferring to her. "Young miss, this way, please. Your grandfather is waiting."

The girl followed the man to the limousine parked on the roadside. The door was held for her and she got in, sitting in the front-facing seat, across from her grandfather. He was middle-aged and vigorous, but flecks of gray had begun to appear in his hair and beard.

"You weren't at the rendezvous, Sei," he said, only a slight note of anger in his gentle voice. "I was getting worried. And you should have disposed of the weapon as we discussed."

"I'm sorry, Grandfather. I was…distracted."

"Quite all right."

A gesture from Grandfather, and one of the guards took the gun from Sei's hand, then her door was slammed shut. Then she handed the bag to her grandfather. He reached in and took out its one item: an egg just large enough to fit in the palm of his hand, made of solid jade. His eyes lingered on it as he said, "In spite of a few minor errors, you have done well. And this has made you stronger, little Sei, my little Fearless One. The world is a dangerous place, and you must be prepared for whatever dangers you face in the future. We have already thrown a few bones to the local constabulary. You need never worry about your name being associated with this terrible, necessary act."

"Thank you, Grandfather. But still, I wonder, could we have gone to the police in the first places? Was there no other way?"

He turned to her and sighed. "There are some things you are still too young to understand," he said sadly. "We of the Bailan clan are not criminals, not thugs acting for our own selfish interests. We use our wealth and power on behalf of our community in accordance with a strict code of conduct. But our authority can not be questioned. Regrettably, sometimes, we must make examples of those who think they can cross us and get away with it. Do you understand?" He wrapped his knuckles on the panel behind him, and the limo began to move.

"I think so," Sei said, "…but…."

'_Why are you doing this, Tamiko!?….'_

"…Grandfather?"

_'…I love you!'_

"Yes?"

_'My name isn't Tamiko.'_

"Why can't I play with other children?"

_BANG!_

"Because you are like no other child, Sei. You are the princess of Bailan, and while you have obligations to the people, you must always be above them. In time, you will see that." He straightened her hair and smiled. "After we get home, you will get a good night's sleep. And then tomorrow, I will have Monsieur Leroux prepare lunch for you. Only the best for the princess of Bailan."


	2. Chapter 2

**…WEEKS AGO….**

"I find your analysis of Subject Zero's actions interesting, Professor, and your proposed course of action is intriguing. But allow me to play the devil's advocate for a moment. If we know where Subject Zero is, why don't we simply go and get it? Surely on laboratory examination - even if it is only of a few tissue samples - we can understand the nature of its malfunction."

"In the first place, Mr. Glenford, we do not know exactly where Subject Zero is. And it would be naïve to believe it would not defend itself. There would be more collateral damage than we can conveniently explain, even with our control of the mainstream media."

"True enough, Professor."

"In the second place, I do not believe it is a malfunction. Everything Subject Zero has done - escaping, hiding itself in Tokyo right under our noses, and its activities in recent months - show intent, forethought, and premeditation. In a nutshell, it is up to something. It knows what it wants to do, and it is going to do it. Our analysis indicates that whatever it is planning will come to fruition in the very near future."

"Subject Zero was the prototype for all our processing units, nothing more. It is supposed to be unable to plan anything except how to carry out orders."

"The processing units, the genocide angels - all our core technologies are based utilizing and enhancing all or part of the human form. And no matter how many factors we can control, we simply do not know how much humanity remains in something post-human, and whether or not that presents risks or opportunities for our enterprise. Observing Subject Zero's actions will be most instructive."

"I see. And you are absolutely certain that this is what made it become active six months ago?"

"Not absolutely certain, no, but I can say with 97% confidence that this is probably it, and it does fit all the available facts about Subject Zero."

"Indeed." Rick Glenford scrutinized the image on the wall screen in front of him: A still from a supermarket security camera. It showed Sei and her then just-hired cook, Kyohei Tachibana, standing by a shopping cart in the produce section; she was listening as he talked about some vegetables he was holding. Glenford studied the young woman. He noted her poise, what he could make out of her facial expression from the grainy image, and looked for other tiny cues that others, even those closest to her, might miss. "But I still don't understand - Ah-h-h-h-h, I see it now. How ironic and tragic, especially given all our attention to Meg and Jo. One has to wonder, Professor: does Sei herself even know how she feels?"

"Our profilers have debated the same question, Mr. Glenford, and they have yet to reach consensus. There's been talk of starting a pool."

Glenford smiled. "I might throw in a few yen. When I was his age, I know what I would have been thinking, especially with her dressed like that." He pondered and turned serious. "What is the status of Operation: Genocide Angel?"

The professor cleared his throat. "Unfortunately, we have encountered some…unforeseen challenges-"

"You mean Maria is being 'difficult' again."

"It's nothing we can't handle, sir, but delay is unavoidable. It will be at least three more months before all is in readiness."

"I see. Then I don't see why we shouldn't make good use of the time. Very well, Professor: In the matter of Subject Zero, we will follow your recommendations and step back and observe. And should one unpredictable irritant eliminate the other, whichever one is left standing will be easier to control when the dust settles."


	3. Chapter 3

**…NOW…**

Meg yawned and stretched in the copilot seat in Django's cockpit, behind Jo. "Y'know, Jo, I am probably the last person on Earth to wonder how most teenage girls spend their Saturday mornings, but I'd wager it's not sitting in a giant robot waiting to fight another robot that's a no-show." She returned her attention to her console. Django could be driven by one person, and Jo had always taken the giant robot out alone. But their quarry had proven so elusive this time, Sei had decided it would be good to have a second pair of eyeballs watching Django's sensors while Jo did the driving and fighting. And, Meg had thought, that would make a nice change of pace from being captured by bad guys only to be rescued by Jo. What kind of merc was she if she couldn't help her friend at all?

"What is it with this thing?" Meg went on. "'Subject Zero' is right. It's definitely a zero." When Jo didn't answer - didn't respond at all - Meg added, "Jo, please don't fall asleep on me. I shudder to think what would happen if Django fell over because you passed out."

Jo didn't answer, and Meg hadn't been entirely kidding. Without the rush of adrenaline to push her into a frenzy - foaming at the mouth and threatening anyone close to her if Meg was threatened - Jo became a taciturn lump. So far that transition had always happened after returning Django to his hangar in their trailer, then Jo could veg out to monster movies. But it had never happened while Jo had been driving the pile of heavy machinery known as Django. They'd brought the robot to the abandoned factories because Bailon agents had reported sighting the cybot that may have contained Subject Zero, but there had been no sign in over and hour of searching the area. And now, Jo was getting bored.

"I'm beginning to think this is a wild goose chase," Meg went on, hoping her chatter would keep Jo awake. "I mean, this thing is little more than a cybernetic urban myth, right? Maybe we haven't caught it after a week because it doesn't exist." Sei had explained it to them like this: Whoever had put glowing brains into cybots had first had to figure out how to keep a human brain alive outside a human body. Legend had it there had been many attempts, but ultimately, one brain had survived. It had been christened Subject Zero.

'Zero?' Meg had asked. 'Why not "one"? But it wasn't their first test, right? Why not keep that number?'

'I don't know,' Sei had replied. 'Maybe someone thought that would sound cool. Now, if I may be allowed to continue? Thank you. The conventional wisdom was that Subject Zero was destroyed when they were done with it, but rumors have persisted that it took control of some machinery and escaped, maybe embezzling some money along the way. It went to ground and no one has seen any sign of it for almost a decade. But now, Bailon thinks it has resurfaced…'

'Let me guess,' Jo had said, 'they want it captured in one piece so they can figure out what makes these things tick.'

'Or at least get back more pieces than you usually bring back,' Sei had said, 'which usually isn't much, but they know who they're dealing with. They say they can make do with two full trash can's worth if it comes to it. That would be enough to gain some understanding of the technology and maybe who their parts suppliers are, which we could follow back to our enemy.'

'I'll see what I can do.'

That had been a week ago, and every sighting of Subject Zero's cybot had turned up nothing. Now Django stood in the multi-story shell of an abandoned factory, and it was looking like yet another "Zero hunt" would yield another zero. Meg couldn't say she minded not being shot at, but this was getting frustrating.

"Amy," Meg said, "do you have anything at your end?"

"Nothing," the eleven year old computer genius radioed from their trailer, "and I've got your area on visible satellite and infrared."

Jo said, "Maybe the intel was wrong." (And Meg thought, 'Well, at least she's still awake.')

"No," Amy said, "I went over it three times; it was-" She broke off as alarms went off in the cockpit. "Guys-it's right behind you-"

The cockpit shook as something slammed into Django. Then a feminine electronic voice sounded over the speakers: "Tag! You're it."

"'Tag'?" Meg wondered.

Jo had already swung into action: As Django swung around, it drew one of its huge handguns, gripped it in the Weaver stance, and they were facing their opponent: The Cybot had purple skin, was almost as tall as Django, and had what looked like a fighter plain cockpit in place of a head. It had only two arms, but they bristled with guns, and it had missile launchers on its shoulders. Fins graced its limbs and engines were on its back.

Meg groused, "A transformer. Great-" Then her seat jerked as Jo opened up with Django's canon. The cybot staggered back out the door, put one arm on its chest and reached towards the sky with the other one, then staggered off to one side, out of sight.

Meg said, "Did we get it? Is that it? Amy?"

"Guys it-" Amy broke off. "Guys, it vanished again!"

Under Jo's piloting, Django crept out the door and turned left and right, covering the area with its handgun. Nothing.

Jo cursed and slapped her console. "Target lost," she growled.

"Nothing here," Amy said. "If it's navigating by GPS, I'm not even getting pings off the satellite networks. This thing must have stealth technology coming out of its - hold on, Sei's calling in." A pause, then: "Guys, I'm routing Sei's cell phone call to you."

"Jo, Meg," Sei's voice said. "Status report."

"Target sighted," Jo reported in her typical monotone. "We engaged; it tagged us. I returned fire. Then it disengaged. Have lost all contact."

"Great," Sei groaned. "How bad is the damage? I'd promised Leo the weekend off after he picked up Kyo's new scooter."

"No, Sei," Meg said, "Jo means it literally tagged us: It hit Django and said 'Tag, you're it!' Then it ran off after Jo shot at it."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

"That's weird…" Sei said. "Well, unless it ops up again, I don't see what else we can do today. You guys head back to the barn. I'm inbound with Kyohei; I want everyone there for his cooking test."

"Will do," Jo said. She worked the controls. Django crouched down and his wheels deployed from his feet; he began to roll away from the factory. "ETA five minutes."


	4. Chapter 4

"What's weird?" Kyohei Tachibana asked. He was sitting in the passenger seat of Sei's sports car as she drove them down the highway; he had heard Sei's half of the conversation as she'd talked to Meg and Jo through her earpiece.

"What?" Sei said. "Oh, the cybot we're going after. Meg said it hit Django and said 'Tag, you're it.'"

"What, you mean like tag, tag?"

"Like tag, tag."

"'You're right, that is weird,' he said, thinking that not long ago, any mention of cybots would have-" His cell phone chimed. He opened the chat room window. "…freaked him out. Hey…" He smiled.

"Is that your new friend, Eriko?" Sei asked.

Kyohei nodded as he typed.

"Tell her I said 'hi.'"

Kyohei nodded as he added that to his message and hit 'send.'

Eriko's reply came back: 'Tell her I said "Hi," too. But what are you doing with your boss? I thought you had a cooking test to make up.'

'I do,' he wrote back. 'We're doing it at her place. That was the only way I could meet both obligations. Can I contact you later? I'll tell you how it turned out.'

'Ok! TTFN. XOXOXOXOXO.'

"She says 'hi,'" Kyohei said as he put his phone down.

"Have you ever met that girl in person?" Sei asked.

"Nope."

"What does she look like?"

"I don't know. She doesn't have a Social Book page, and she hasn't sent me any pictures of herself."

"What, nothing?"

"Nothing, although I sent her a couple of pictures of me."

"Hmm. Maybe I should have been born in the twentieth century, but I'm not entirely comfortable with a relationship that starts online. But then she's brought a smile to your face, so I can't complain too much. But you watch yourself. There are all sorts of creeps out there who hide behind the 'net's anonymity."

"I'll be careful, although I can't see how she could be worse than you guys…Did I just say that out loud?"

Sei smiled slightly. "I can't fault you for being honest. I've asked you to work for me under the most difficult conditions imaginable, and you have exceeded my expectations at every turn. But I'd be kidding myself if I thought you weren't under at least a little stress."

"To put it mildly. It's ok, Sei. I'll deal. Oh, and thanks for letting us use your kitchen for the cooking makeup."

"No problem."

"And thanks for the new scooter, although in all honesty, I wish you hadn't done that again."

"You'll have to persuade Jo to stop destroying them, because I am going to compensate you for any misfortunes you suffer while in my employ. Why? Has this cause you any trouble?"

"That and being paid three times minimum wage for part time work."

"I want to be sure you get to France. I guess I have my heart set at having a master patissier in my back pocket someday."

"Even if Jo'll put hot sauce on everything I make?"

Sei chuckled. "That is the one problem with that plan." She turned serious. "Is it really bad?"

"Not too bad. Daiki thinks you're my sugar momma."

"Tell Daiki I like my men a little older." She paused, then added: "Sorry if I disappointed you. You're very nice, and I enjoy your company, but we're just friends."

"That's ok, Sei. Somehow I think having you as my girlfriend would make my life even more complicated."

"We can't have that now-" The car phone rang. "-can we." She touched her earpiece. "Go."

"Hey, Sei," Leo Jinn's voice said. "Is Kyohei with you? I thought I'd call you before I tried his cell."

"He's here. I'll put you on speaker." She tabbed the screen on the car's central console. "Go ahead."

"Hey, Kyohei, m'main man!" Leo's voice sounded in the car. "How is it hanging my bah-ruthah?"

"Hey, Leo," Kyo said. "What's up?"

"I picked up the new scooter, and it is sah-weeeet, but one of the shocks is bad, and those vultures at the dealership wanted an arm and a leg for a new one. I've got much better parts here, and you can have it on me."

Kyohei's face fluished. 'Rides in a sports car,' he thought, 'three times minimum wage for part time work, and a new scooter maintained by an insane genius mech builder. Right, Daiki will believe I'm not a kept man.' But he couldn't say he hated the situation either.

Kyohei said, "Thanks, Leo."

"No problem, Kyo. Hey, want me to add some accessories while I'm at it? I've got machine guns, grenade launchers, couple of mini missile batteries…Howzabout an ultrasonic canon built into the headlamp?"

"Thanks, Leo, but other than the shock, I'll take it as is."

"No problem, my man, no problem. Stop by my shop after your cooking test; I should have it ready by then. Good luck with that, by the way. And don't let Meg eat everything! I want at least a few scraps."

"I'll see what I can save for you, Leo. Later."

"Ciao, buddy."

Sei turned off the phone.

Kyohei sighed, and turned and looked out his window. "What am I doing here?" he muttered.

Sei looked at him out of the corner of her eye, then slapped the steering wheel. "I've got it!" she said.

Kyo turned to her. "Got what?"

"My perfect man. I finally figured it out. He'll have Leo's body, your personality, and both your skill sets combined. When I find such a man, you and Leo will get kicked to the curb. Adios, amigos."

"You will never find such a man."

"Why not?"

"Because I will hire Jo to kill him."

"You can't afford her."

"You underestimate my culinary skill. I shall create super-spicy dishes the like of which the world has never seen to bind her to my will."

"I'm sorry, but did I just call you 'nice'? You've grown a devious streak."

"You've had a bad-" Now Kyo's phone rang. He checked the caller ID. "-influence-it's Azumi-" He answered the phone. "Hey, Azumi, what's up?…No, Sei is giving me a lift; we're almost there…uh-huh…Actually, that can work out. Hang on, I'm going to put you on hold." He turned to Sei. "Azumi, Daiki, and Ms. Hongo are running a little late. I figure if the others have to put Django back in his hangar anyway, maybe they can hold back until after that's done."

"I was just thinking the same thing. Tell her to wait some place for…ten minutes. That should do it."

Kyohei nodded, then got back on the line with Azumi. "Azumi? Yeah, my boss has to…put some equipment away. How far along are you?…Ok, so pull into the truck stop off the connector and wait for ten minutes, then come in the rest of the way. I'll meet you there….Yes, right….I'm sure…Ok, then, see you soon."


	5. Chapter 5

Sitting in the middle of the back seat of the small SUV, Mina Hongo leaned forward to look between the boy who was driving and the girl in the passenger seat, and gawked at the massive truck taking up a third of the parking lot in the abandoned shopping mall. The cab looked like an oversized fighter cockpit mounted on top of an amalgamation of several trucks, and she didn't know what to make of the two-story tall trailer.

She said, "What the - that's not it, is it?"

The girl, Azumi Kazami, said, "They have a mech. They have to keep it somewhere. And this is where he told us to meet him."

The boy, Daiki Ichimonji, added, "He told me, 'Think as big as you can and go bigger.' That is pretty big."

"But I thought-" Hongo broke off as Daiki slammed on the brakes. "Daiki, what - is that a pothole?"

"No," Daiki said, surveying the paired sets of depressions crossing his path. "Footprints, I think."

Hongo sank back into the seat as Daiki slowly navigated across the footprints, then stepped on the gas on the other side. 'What have I allowed Kyo to get mixed up in?' she thought.

As they got closer to the … whatever it was, a door near the cockpit slid open and a girl came down the steps. She looked to be only a little older than Azumi, but with short white hair and, incongruously, red eyes. But what shocked Hongo the most was how immodestly the girl dressed: A bare midriff between some kind of sleeveless tank top, stockings held up by a garter belt, and a bikini bottom, with red chaps graced by what could be white gun holsters, and red boots. 'What the -those can't be real holsters!' Hongo thought as the girl directed Daiki to park near the steps and then stop. Fear twisted in Hongo's stomach. 'What is going on here? Is this a kiddie porn studio?' She remembered what Azumi had said Kyohei had said over the phone about 'putting equipment away' and hoped it was just a reference to a mech.

As she got out of the SUV, holding the bag containing her students' chef uniforms, Kyohei tumbled out of the vehicle with three more…Hongo thought the politest word she could use was "females:" One girl, who looked like an American to be as old as the white-haired one, but with long red hair. She wore a cowboy hat and a yellow teddy, yellow chaps, a bikini bottom and had a black collar around her neck. A much younger girl came down, dressed in pink, her hair in pigtails, and she was carrying a teddy bear. She had more clothing on than the others, but still had her belly exposed. But most alarming off all was the young woman who accompanied them: Although her dark hair was in a bun in a conservative Chinese style, her white halter top barely covered the upper two thirds of her large breasts, and her pants barely hung onto her hips, exposing a perfectly flat stomach from her solar plexus to only a few inches above her private area. Hongo's first instinct was the tell the kids to get back in the truck and tell Daiki to get out of there as fast as he could, but she feared having a mech pursue them down the highway.

Kyo came over with a smile on his face. "Hey, you guys made it! Have any trouble getting here?"

Daiki high-fived with Kyohei. "No, man, your directions were precise. But you've been holding out on me, Bro. You did not tell me you were surrounded by such lovely ladies."

The red-haired girl threw back her head and spoke in English: "O Lord, give me strength." Then she turned to Kyo and spoke in fluent Japanese with a hint of an accent: "Kyo, I take back every bad thing I've ever said about you."

Kyohei started making introductions: To his teacher and fellow students: "Guys, this is Sei, Meg, Jo, and Amy." And to his…other associates: "And this is Azumi, Daiki, and Ms Hongo."

Bows and greetings passed around, except for Jo who just nodded and grunted.

Azumi said to Meg, "I think I remember you from that night."

Meg nodded. "It was kind of crazy, even for us."

"Where are you from? I mean, in America."

"Brooklyn - New York City."

"I thought I heard an accent. Why are you dressed like a cow girl?"

"Oh." Meg cringed. "Um…it's a long story and I really don't want to get into it right now."

"I understand. Your Japanese is very good, by the way."

"I always wanted to travel the world, so I taught myself a bunch of languages. Sei's the only one who speaks more than me, though we'll be even when I finally get around to Arabic."

"Thank you for coming," Sei said to Hongo. She seemed friendly enough.

Hongo decided the best thing to do under the circumstances was to be polite. "I suppose I should thank you," she said. "Not many employers would allow us to conduct a test on their premises, and I wouldn't go these lengths for many of my students."

"Kyohei is a talented chef," Sei said, "and - at the risk of embarrassing him - he has become an indispensable part of our little family. But I keep irregular business hour, and this has placed more demands on his time than…more traditional employment would. I'm only too happy to help him with his cooking test." She turned to the other girls and barked orders with the authority of a military commander: "Guys? Let's get everything Kyo and his friends need inside."

Hongo held back and was last in line as Kyohei, his fellow students and…other associates filed up into the vehicle, carrying shopping bags full of ingredients; and she found herself in a well-appointed living space. On the one hand, she was relieved she didn't see anything like movie equipment. On the other-

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," she said as she looked over the small kitchen area. "Kyohei - here!?"

"Yes," Kyohei said.

"But it's not a professional kitchen."

"We can do this. Trust me. There isn't anything you can assign us in school that I can't do here."

"All right, but this … I mean, this isn't their home, is it?"

"It is, 24-7."

"But you can't control access to the space."

"I can. Not only have they agreed to stay out of it, but as an added bonus, Jo is going to make sure no one but the four of us have the kitchen."

"How's she going to do that?"

"You really want to know?"

"I should."

"Ok." He turned to Daiki and Azumi. "Guys, could you stand by the wall? And Miss H., could you go over by the door? Thanks. Jo, without doing anything, could you please pretend Ms. Hongo is an unauthorized person trying to get to the stove and show us how you'd handle it? Whenever you're ready, Miss H."

Hongo nodded and tried to walk towards the stove. But Jo suddenly appeared in front of her, a silver handgun in the teacher's face. Hongo froze, feeling her heart in her throat.

Kyo said, "Thank you, Jo."

Jo nodded, holstered her gun, and returned to standing guard at the edge of the kitchen's floor space.

Kyo turned to the teacher. "This kitchen is ours until Sei or I say otherwise."

"Yes, well…" Hongo regained some composure. "Still, uh…."

"Miss H.," Kyo said, "we can do this. We have all the ingredients we need, I know this kitchen like the back of my hand, and I know what Daiki, Azumi and I are capable of. This will work. All you have to do is give the word."

"Well, I…fine. Get changed. Test starts in five minutes sharp."

Kyo, Azumi, and Daiki dashed for the living section of the trailer. In less than five minutes they were back, standing at attention before Ms. Hongo. She gave him their instruction. "Hai!" they said. Then Kyohei pulled a jar out of one of the bags, and said to it, "You've entered a whole new world. Welcome to hell."

Jo smiled slightly and wiped it away in a second.

The three students went into action like a well-oiled machine, while Sei and the other girls looked on. Ms Hongo watched the young chefs closely, but also noted how Sei followed Kyohei's every move. She sidled over to her.

"Impressive, isn't he?" Hongo said causally.

"I had no idea," Sei said. "He's usually very shy and nervous. I guess when he's in his element, it's a different-"

Azumi broke in: "Oh, crap! Kyohei, we've got a problem."

He was at her elbow. "What?"

"This. There isn't enough." She opened a jar. "Eeyuh! And it's gone bad."

"Oh, man," Daiki groaned, "we are hosed."

Kyohei wrapped his knuckles on the counter. "Wait a minute. We're using that for a little bit of spiciness, right?"

"Just a little," Azumi said.

"Then we can do this," Kyohei said. "We just apply Jo's Law: When in doubt, add hot sauce." He grabbed a bottle.

Azumi said, "Kyohei-no-that's too spicey-"

"Not if we dilute it," Kyo said. "A dew drops in a cup of water…stir…taste…" He sipped his spoon. "Perfect."

"Are you sure, Kyo?"

"If you have a better idea, Azumi, now's the time."

"Fine."

Sei leaned over to Meg. "If he fought as well as he cooks," she whispered, "I wouldn't need you and Jo anymore."

Meg chuckled. "Good one, Sei."

Sei didn't laugh.

"Uh…" Meg said. "You were kidding, right Sei? … Sei?"

Sei and the girls hovered around the edge of the space, watching Kyo and his fellow cooking students; time melted away. Then Kyo and his friends were standing at attention by the table, their dishes on it; Sei and the girls found themselves holding their breaths as the teachers closely examined the finished products, tasting here and there.

"Well," Hongo said, "I can think of a million things wrong with this: It wasn't in the kind of setting I expected, and you had to substitute an ingredient, and that's just for starters. But you thought on your feet and adapted to a real world emergency, which I now think I should have more exercises on; and the results taste great. In fact, I can't even notice the hot sauce. What the hell - you all get A Pluses."

Applause broke out in the camper as the young chefs relaxed. Kyo got a hug from Meg, a handshake from Sei, and a shoulder squeeze from Jo. Miss Hongo took some pictures of her chefs together, and then got a couple of group pictures of Kyo with Sei and the others.

"And? And?" Meg prompted.

"Ok!" Kyohei said. "I promised Leo earlier I'd save some for him."

Azumi said, "I'll put a plate aside for him now."

"And?" Meg prompted.

"I'd like to thank my boss for allowing me to do this," Kyo said. That got a smile from Sei.

Meg almost gnashed her teeth. "*And?*"

Sei chuckled. "Kyohei. Stop torturing Meg."

"All right," Kyo said. "Let's eat!"

It didn't take long for everyone to be splayed around the living area, sitting on couches or on the floor, eating the test results. The congeniality did nothing for Hongo's unease, though.

"I gotta tell you, Miss H," Meg said between mouthfuls, "whatever grade you give him isn't good enough. I used to be an avowed junk food junkie. Now that I have my own personal gourmet chef, I can hardly look at the stuff. The best part of coming back from a job is the way this place smells when he's been cooking up a storm. Isn't that right, Jo?"

Jo nodded.

Meg cleaned off her plate and burped. "'Scuse me. My one regret is I have never had any of these cookies he brings us. I have heard legends of his cookies. Virgins have been sacrificed to these cookies. Yet in six months I haven't had one." She glared at Amy. "Someone who may not live to be twelve keeps eating them all!"

Amy giggled.

Kyo said, "Yeah, that's terrible, Meg…" (Sei turned and wandered towards the cockpit with exaggerated casualness.) "…Don't you think it's terrible, Amy? Wouldn't it be great if Meg's gourmet chef had made extra cookies for her and slipped them to his boss for her to hide in her safe until later?"

"Yeah," Amy said, "it-HEY!"

Sei returned from the cockpit with a plastic bag full of Kyo's animal cookies. Meg jumped to her feet and clapped her hands while Amy stewed

"Yes!" Meg squealed as she took the bag. "Thank you, thank you! See Amy, being nice to the chef helps once in a while."

"Really, Meg? Then why's he helping you?"

"That was so funny, Amy, I forgot to laugh." Meg took a cookie out of the bag and looked at it lovingly. "Ah, cookie, after loving you from afar, at last we meet." She took a bite out of the cookie. "Mmm…MMMM… Oh, my god. That's a cookie." She ate another one. "MMMM! Jo, you have to have one of these cookies."

Jo took a cookie and gnawed it thoughtfully. "Ok. Little dry." She picked up the hot sauce, put a drop on the cookie, and ate it. "Better."

"Jo you trog! You don't put hot sauce on - why do I bother?"

Kyo laughed, then his phone chimed. He smiled as he opened the text window and started typing.

Azumi asked, "Is that Eriko?"

Kyo nodded.

Amy giggled. "They're sexting."

"Shut up, Amy!" Meg said. "Ok, so we all give Kyo a hard time, but we all like him, even you, Amy. He's a quality guy and it's about time he met a nice girl. Let him have some fun away from our insanity. Yeah, it's weird it's all online, but if she really likes him, then good for him, I say." She popped another cookie in her mouth and closed her eyes in pleasure as she chewed it. "Mmmmmmmfuhgedaboudit!" She swallowed. "Almost better than sex. Kyo, I want you to know I'm still glad you've found someone, but if Eriko's hoping to marry you and take you away from us, she'd better forget it because I'll murder her. I am not losing my favorite chef to some anonymous tramp in cyberspace."

Kyo nodded, engrossed in his phone.

Meg decided that A+ or no A+, she was going to get Kyo's goat. "In fact," she went on, "everyone? I have an announcement: Kyo is running away with Jo and me. We'll move to the south of France where he'll work in a bakery and live with us in a menage a trois. Won't that be great, Kyo?"

"Yeah, right," Kyo said. He looked up from his phone. "Huh?"

"'Huh?' 'What?' That's how you speak Kyo." She laughed. "I'm just raggin' on ya, pal. You know I love you." She blew him a kiss. "And if I don't get an engraved invitation to the grand opening of your Paris pastry shop, I will kill you."

"I thought you just said you loved me, Meg."

"I'll make it quick and painless, Kyo. What are friends for?"

Kyo returned to his phone. "How does that American saying go?" he grumbled. "'With friends like you, I don't need any enemies'?"

Meg hadn't quite caught that. "What was that?" she said as she ate another cookie.

Kyo's eyes flicked up at her. He smiled. "Just raggin' on ya, pal."


	6. Chapter 6

When everyone was done eating, Sei told Kyohei to take the weekend off. "Grandfather has left an open invitation for me to come to his country house, and I've accepted on behalf of myself and the girls. You can have the rest of the weekend off. But don't think you're off the hook; he's heard enough about your culinary skills he wants to meet you."

"As long as I'm cooking for a lot less than a thousand people."

Sei chucked. "I was teasing you, Kyo."

"Yeah, but I know you, Sei."

(Hongo watched the exchange and got more than a little uneasy.)

The students got ready to leave. When Azumi appointed herself custodian of Leo's care package, Daiki said, "So where is this guy?"

"That's right," Kyo said. "Amy, Daiki will need directions."

Amy nodded, dashed to the door and looked outside. The she headed for her room. "System's a little slow today," she called over her shoulder, "but you'll have it in five at most."

"Thanks, short stuff."

"What-" Daiki started.

"She'll send it directly to your nav system," Kyo said.

"How-"

"She saw your license plate."

"Does-"

"All the time."

"Ok, man."

Miss Hongo looked around. "Well, I think we'd best be going."

Sei walked Miss Hongo and her students to the SUV. Hongo let the students get in and turned to Sei.

"It was nice meeting you," Hongo said. "Thank you for letting us use your kitchen."

"It was my pleasure," Sei replied. "I've always admired Kyo for having set a goal for himself, and to choose one most boys his age wouldn't even conceive of, and then follow of it, takes a lot of courage. I've made it one of my goals in life to help him achieve his dream in any way I can. He's gone above and beyond the call of duty for me every chance he's got, and I think I owe him something for that. But I also don't want his studies to suffer, and I'm very concerned about that." She handed Hongo a business card. "My card. Please, feel free to call me any time with whatever concerns or questions you may have."

Hongo sat in the back with Kyohei, who was once again engrossed in chatting with Eriko. As the SUV pulled away, she watched the retreating trailer out of the back window for a moment.

"Hey, Kyohei," Daiki said, "that little dweeb didn't come through. There's nothing in the-"

Ping!

"Never mind."

Kyohei didn't look up from his phone but he smiled. "She said her system was slow today."

Hongo said, "Kyohei? Could you look at me for a second?"

Kyohei turned to her.

"After class on Monday," Hongo said, "I want to have a word with you-"

"Oh, for-Miss H.-"

"No, Kyohei, I think this is important."

"All right." He turned back to his phone.


	7. Chapter 7

Sei watched the SUV pull away and turned to see Meg was sitting on the trailer's steps.

Meg said incredulously, "'I admire Kyo for setting a goal?' 'I've made it my mission to help him?' Are you serious?"

"This from the girl who was flirting with him half the time."

"But I didn't mean it."

"So you don't like him?"

"No, I do, but…it isn't that…I mean, Jeez, Sei, you've been like that ever since you met him. I've never heard you talk that way about anyone else."

"And if you overheard my conversation with Miss Hongo, you know why."

Meg thought to say something else but thought better of it. "Fine."

In the trailer, Sei had Amy put Django's gun camera on the big screen. They watched the encounter with the cybot over and over again.

"The pose before it falls," Sei said, "it's exaggerated, melodramatic." She thought for a minute. "Amy, can you enhance the contrast on the cockpit? I want to see who's inside."

Amy nodded and punched the keys on her laptop. The camera zoomed in on the tinted windows of the cockpit; the rest of the scene washed out as the cockpit cleared, revealing an empty pilot seat in front of case with a glowing brain in it.

Jo noted the obvious: "Brain but no pilot."

"So it's the brain that's doing this," Sei said. "It's toying with us."

Meg said, "'Toying with us'?"

Sei nodded. "I believe it has been at all the sightings we have investigated, but has only just now made itself visible to us. It wants us to know it's there."

Jo said, "Why? We've never had one of these brains do that."

"I know," Sei said, "and I can't begin to guess at its motive. But one thing is certain: We thought we were hunting Subject Zero, when in fact, Subject Zero is hunting us. And until it resurfaces, we won't be any the wiser. I suggest proceed with our weekend plans unless something happens."

"Hmm," Jo said. Then she turned to Meg. "Before I forget, Meg. Earlier you said we were going to France with Kyohei-"

"I was teasing him, Jo."

"I know, but you said we'd live in a menage a trois. What is that, some kind of French house?"

Meg blushed. "It's …um…uh…" She turned to Sei with a pleading look.

Sei shook her head. "You're on your own, girlfriend."

Amy rested her chin on her hands and grinned. "This I gotta hear."


	8. Chapter 8

When Daiki got to Leo's shop, all three kids got out; Miss Hongo decided to wait in the SUV. While they were chatting with Leo, Kyo's phone chimed. It was Eriko.

Her message appeared on his screen: 'Are you back home yet?'

'A few minutes,' he typed back. 'I'm picking up a new scooter.'

'Good! My present's just been delivered. Open it has soon as you get home.'

Kyohei was taken aback and he stared at the screen. Having no real world contact with Eriko hadn't bothered him until now, but he'd never told her where he lived. What if it was one of the girls' enemies?

But there was no way to avoid the issue. He typed: 'How do you know where I live?'

'I'm sorry,' she replied. 'I didn't think - I just looked you up. I'm sorry. You must think I'm an awful person. Please forgive me. :_('

'No, it's no problem. But I'll probably have to mention this to my boss.'

'Of course. When will you see her next time?'

'Monday.'

'Ah! So you do have time to open my present. Please say you will.'

Kyohei rolled his eyes. 'All right. I will.'

'Thank you, Kyohei. I'll let you go now. Contact me from home, ok?'

'Ok.'

'TTFN! XOXOXOXOX.'

Kyohei looked up to see Leo, Daiki and Azumi standing in front of him. Daiki said, "It's awake!"

"How long were you standing there?" Kyohei asked.

"Long enough," Azumi said. "You were you of it. Are you all right?"

Leo grinned. "He's more than all right, Azumi. The Kyoster is in love. Eriko must be quite a lady, Kyohei, if she's driven you to distraction without ever having met her. Think you'll come back to us after you finally meet her?"

"And miss all the fun I have with you and the girls, Leo? I don't think anything could keep me away."

Daiki stepped forward. "Whatever, Bro." They high-fived. "See ya Monday."

"See ya, Daiki."

Azumi gave him a quick hug. "You did well today, Kyohei. I'm very proud of you."

"Thanks, Boss."

"Call me sometime tomorrow? Maybe we'll do something."

"Sure."

As Kyo watched Daiki and Azumi get in the SUV and leave, Leo came over to stand by Kyo. "You are in demand, my friend; the ladies are coming at you from far and wide. Maybe I should become a pastry chef."

"At least Azumi and Eriko are normal." Kyo winced. "I shouldn't have said that."

"No, it's fine," Leo said, becoming more serious as he led Kyohei over to the lift with the new scooter on it. "You've been dropped in the deep end of a shark tank you thought was a kiddy pool; I'm amazed you made it this long. You've got a lot of heart, you're stronger than you think you are, and you will always do the right thing, no matter what. But this is a hard life, and the girls can be a headache, and that's without Sei's attachment issues."

"Huh?"

"Given a choice, she refuses to let go of anything or anyone she gives more than a tinker's damn about."

"You're telling me."

Leo shrugged. "I've known Sei for a long time, from long before she recruited the three sisters of chaos. She's not perfect, God knows, but there are worse people to work for. But she was pretty much born into this gig, whereas you're picking it up as you go along, even when you probably shouldn't have to. Can't be helped, I suppose. But it's rough for a kid like you. I can see that, and I can't begrudge you wanting at least a little time away from it if not wanting out altogether. My hat's off to you for toughing it out, but never stop looking out for number one; life's too damn short without high diving into a meat grinder every other week. Kyo, in all serious, if Eriko's The One, then I wish you all the best."

Kyo chuckled, a little embarrassed, but said, "Thanks, Leo."


	9. Chapter 9

When Kyo got home with the new scooter, he found the small cardboard box, 20 centimeters on a side, on the table just inside the front door. It was addressed to him, but the return address was a P. O. Box in the United States. He picked it up; it felt very light, and rattled when he shook it. He started upstairs, but his dad called, "Kyo, could you come here a minute?"

Dad was sitting at the kitchen table, looking at his laptop. One of the group pictures of Kyo with Sei and the others was on the screen. Mom came and stood by the door, a worried look on her face.

Dad said, "Your teacher just e-mailed this to me. Are these the … people you work for?"

"Yes, Dad," Kyo said, "they are."

"What are they, Kyo, prostitutes?"

"No Dad, they…they just dress very casually."

"This isn't funny, son! I knew they couldn't possibly paying you all that money just to cook. What is really going on?"

His mother stepped forward. "Listen to your father, Dear. You can tell us."

"Is it drugs?" Dad pressed. "Are they making you make child pornography?"

Kyo gawked at his dad, then laughed. "Holy crap … this is too rich! I don't believe this. After years of worrying that I'm gay because I want to be a pastry chef, now you're afraid some girls like me? This too much. No, I've got it! This will satisfy you: They're all transvestites, and they tie me up and have their way with me every day. It's great, Dad. You should try it."

"This isn't a joke," Dad growled. "I knew this pastry chef nonsense was a bad idea, and now you're mixed up with God knows what. Why can't you be more like your older brother, Moreihei-"

"Oh, yeah, the great Moreihei Tachibana," Kyo exclaimed, "who went to university on a Soccer scholarship and whose team is headed for the World Cup-No, wait, he dropped out of college after a year - or was thrown out for drug possession, I forget which - and now he's a plumber in Tanegashima."

"At least it's honest work," Dad said.

"And being a chef isn't?" Kyo said.

"You're young, Kyo, still too impressionable, still easy prey for someone like that. People like that, they think they can get away with anything, people like that think they can buy anybody's silence-"

"There's no silence to buy, because there's nothing to be silent about, and knowing you, next week you'll say that's proof I'm gay. Yes, Dad, all I do is cook for them, and Sei keeps buying me new scooters because Jo - she's the one with the white hair and no, that's not redeye - keeps destroying them. I've told Sei not to do it, but she won't be talked out of it. She pays me so much money because she wants to be sure I can get to France. She doesn't think I'm gay, and supports me 100%, and she's a stranger. I don't even like her sometimes, but she supports me. You're my parents, and you won't help me at all - you even try to talk me out of it every chance you get. Am I the only one who sees something wrong with this picture? Why can't you just accept me as I am? Why can't you believe I'm a normal boy who loves to cook? Sei does. Some days, that's the only nice thing I can say about her."

He started out of the kitchen, then stopped by his mother, glaring at her. "And another thing: Sei didn't get drunk one night and tell me the only reason I exist is because a condom broke."


	10. Chapter 10

When Kyo got up to his room, he opened the box. It contained a small typed note:

'With my compliments - love and kisses - Eriko.'

There was also a wireless headset and a thumb drive.

He turned on his desktop computer and plugged in the thumb drive. A window opened and he watched as software installed itself. LEDs on the headset blinked, and a window opened in his screen with a message: 'Put on headset and press any key to continue.'

Kyo put on the headset and pressed the return key. He started to hear music. It was soothing and synthetic, like some meditation music he had once heard. Then a feminine electronic voice came out of the music:

"Hello, Kyohei."

"What…who is this?"

"It's me, Eriko. I set this up so I could finally talk to you. Would you like to be able to reach me through your phone?"

"Uh…yeah."

Kyo's phone chimed.

"Done," Eriko said. "Our own private app you can use anytime."

"What…" He stammered. "How are you doing this? Why are you masking your voice?"

"I'm not. This is my voice. I have a … unique medical condition. You could say I'm the ultimate quadriplegic. I can't interact with people normally, so I have to improvise other ways. You understand?"

"Yeah, I…" he yawned. "Man, I feel tired all of a sudden."

"It's my music; it's meant to be soothing."

"Thanks."

"Not mad?"

"Not mad."

"Still friends?"

"Still friends."

"Are you still going to tell your boss about this? You said you thought you had to."

"I know, but on second thought, nah, you had a good reason. Sei doesn't have to know; it's none of her bee's wax. I'm not one of her soldiers; I can make friends with someone on my own time."

"That's good," Eriko said, "because I want to be your friend. I want someone normal in my life, when my life is very abnormal."

"I hear that," Kyo said. "I took the job I have so I can save up to go to France and become a pastry chef. My parents don't support that al all. My boss supports me, but thanks to her I've almost got killed a bunch of times. Yet I had to defend them from my dad because he thought they were raping me or something. I'm defending people I don't always like from my own dad!"

"At least you have a family. My parents and my sisters were murdered when I was a little girl. I almost died, too."

"What-how-who-"

"I'll tell you that later, after I get to know you better. I really have to trust you, Kyohei. In the mean time, why don't you tell me more about your boss and her friends…"


	11. Chapter 11

"Earth to Mina. Come in, Mina."

"Huh?"

"Are you all right? You spaced out or a second." The man sitting across the table from Mina Hongo, Eiji Suzuki, smiled. "I didn't spend a month's salary on dinner just so you could pick at your food and space out."

"Sorry. I have a lot on my mind." Mina and her boyfriend, Eiji, were sitting at a table on the mezzanine in one of Tokyo's finer restaurants. But Mina couldn't stop thinking about the people Kyohei worked for; her unease had only grown as she'd put on her makeup, jewelry, and her red dress.

Eiji ate a piece of meat. "Anything you want to talk about?"

"Well…I suppose. I've mentioned one of my students, Kyohei Tachibana."

"Name rings a bell."

"He's a very promising student who wants to go to France and become a pastry chef. A few months ago he got a job working for some woman. He missed several classes and always seemed tired and stressed out. I attributed it to juggling work and school. But his team was unable to take part of a test because he was absent. He scheduled a makeup for today, but then remembered he'd already agreed to work. He asked his employer if he could take test at her…I guess you could call it her residence. I didn't want to see three of my best students fail, so I agreed."

"So far so good."

"But then I met them! 'Sexualized' doesn't begin to describe it. And he arranged to have this one girl shoot anyone who came near the stove, and he didn't even blink. I've been sick with worry all day."

"Who are these people?"

"They live in some kind of trailer. I took a picture of them and e-mailed it to his parents."

"Can I see it?"

"Sure." She dug her phone out of her purse, flipped through the pictures to one of the group shots of Kyo with…with them, and handed it to Eiji.

"Ah, yes," Eiji said, "Sei Ping Ho and her troika of female furies."

"You know them?"

Eiji nodded. "They're a group of well-armed, well financed mercenaries with ties to the Bailan Triad."

"Mercenaries!? At that age?"

"All perfectly legal, I'm afraid." Eiji didn't hide his bitterness. He had followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather when he'd joined Japan's National Police Agency, and grandfather had told him of the days when Japan had been so crime free that people could walk the streets of Tokyo in the middle of the night without fear. But the 21st century had not been kind to Japan in general and Tokyo in particular. When the crime rate had inexplicably risen, the government had decided to *cut* the NPA's budget and repeal almost all of Japan's gun control laws, the theory being the people could police the streets themselves, thereby saving Japan a ton of money. When that had only resulted in more chaos, RAPT, an organization with only the barest comprehension of proper police work, had been created, gobbling up many of the NPA's remaining street level functions in Tokyo as the NPA shrank still further. The Special Investigations Unit, the squad Eiji was a detective in, dealt with sex crimes, organized crimes, and anything else that couldn't be conveniently classified as property crime or murder. But between RAPT's ineptitude and the bottomless bank accounts of entities like the Bailan Triad and their legion of lawyers, the NPA was a shell of its former self, powerless to do anything against the forces running Tokyo into the ground.

And Sei Ping Ho was the most flagrant violator of all, in Eiji's mind the embodiment of everything that had sent Tokyo to hell in a hand basket. In his grandfather's day, she would have been arrested on a slue of charges; if she'd been lucky, she would have been sent on a one-way trip to China. He had a teenaged daughter Meg's age, and that someone Eiji considered little better than a mob princess playing soldier with real live children could operate in Japan with a nod and a wink from the authorities, regardless of the rumors he had heard of her conflicts with RAPT, galled him no end. Shutting her down and seeing her either imprisoned or deported had become his personal goal, but he couldn't see how to do it. Bailan's shysters had effectively closed off every legal line of attack.

Eiji went on, "Bailan's lawyers have covered everything, even the immigration statuses of these two, Meg and Jo."

"I thought Jo was Japanese," Mina said.

"Maybe she is, maybe she isn't, but nobody knows for sure. She arrived from New York City with Meg, claiming to not remember anything but her given name. There isn't a birth certificate for her or anyone matching her description anywhere in the world. We don't even know for certain how old she is. Neither of them should have been allowed into Japan in the first place, but a few Yen from Bailan and everything is nice and legal."

Mina was aghast. "And there's nothing you can do?"

"Unless we can prove they are operating outside their legal boundaries, or there are crimes being committed on the premises, or they are a front for a criminal enterprise - drugs, prostitution, child pornography or human trafficking - no, there's nothing we can do."

"Well, that is it! I'm putting a stop to this. I'm meeting with Kyohei on Monday, and I am not letting him go back to her. I don't know what she's doing to him, but I'll do everything I can to get him out of there."

Eiji chose his words carefully: "Do you think Sei could be sexually molesting him?"

"What-He's a sixteen year old boy! Most boys his age would be happy to be bedded by someone like…that."

"Sexual predation is about power, not gender," Eiji explained, "and the notion that it is strictly male on female is an antiquated myth debunked in my grandfather's day. Female on male abuse can be just as traumatic to the victim as male on female, and Kyohei is still too young to deal with it. She's beautiful, rich, powerful, and they spend a lot of time together…if he's enthralled to her…" He trailed off.

Mina had both hands over her mouth. "Oh, my…I mean, you think she…is that why…"

"Well, she may not have done anything yet. Predators have a period of what is called grooming. They insinuate themselves into their intended victim's lives, make themselves indispensable, while also lowering their victim's inhibitions - desensitizing them to violence, say - and when they're ready…I've seen the results. If he lives, he'll be scarred for life."

"Oh, my god!"

"Then again, he is working for a group of mercenaries. That is a high stress environment. And in her own way, Sei could just be trying to be a good friend."

"She told me she wants to help him get to France."

"See? Although she'd say that either way. There's no way to tell."

"Still, what can be done?"

"You say you're seeing him on Monday?"

"Yes."

"Keep your meeting, but don't try and stop him from going back to her, which won't do any good if she's got him under her thumb. Express your concerns, but make it clear you'll respect his decision. I'll have arrange for my partner to sit in under cover; she has an instinct for dealing with victims. If there's nothing to your concerns, then it's all innocent - she's still scum, but we'll at least know she's not doing anything to Kyohei. But if Sei Ping Ho is abusing Kyohei, her days of freedom in Japan are numbered."


	12. Chapter 12

Eiji's partner was a woman named Ohato Bando, and she was about five years older than Mina Hongo. Monday afternoon found her sitting in one of the chairs in Mina Hongo's small office. She wore a conservative tan pants suit, and fake glasses with a small camera built into the bridge. Right on time, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Mina called.

Kyohei came in. He had an earpiece wired to his phone. He laughed as he listened to the conversation on the other end. "Ok…I'll talk to you again later." He pulled the earpiece out.

Mina and Bando stood up. "Kyohei?" Mina said. "This is our new psychologist, Dr. Keiko Yamada. Dr. Yamada, this is Kyohei Tachibana."

The traded bows. "I didn't know we had a psychologist," Kyo said as he sat down. "I've never seen you before."

Bando smiled. "It's a new directive from the Ministry of Education. I just started today."

Kyohei seemed to weigh this before nodding. Then he turned to Mina. "So, you wanted to talk to me about Sei."

"I'm concerned about you," Mina said. "Ever since you started working for Sei, you've missed classes, your grades - while still good - have fallen, and you've been tired and stressed out."

"Why don't you just come out and say it, Miss H.?"

"All right, Kyohei - are you having a sexual relationship with Sei?"

"NO. And as a matter of fact, she and I were talking about this right before the test. She said she likes her men a little older. I just work for her."

Bando said with a smile, "All right, but she is a beautiful woman, and you're a growing young man feeling…urges. It would be only natural for you to think about it."

"What, me and Sei? Yeah, if I was desperate! Sei can be cool sometimes, but I don't want her for a girlfriend - or any of them for that matter. I want someone normal in my life, like Eriko or Azumi, someone who isn't-" He broke off, then leaned closer to Bando, staring at her. "The glasses are nice," he said, "but I can tell they're not refracting the light at all. And the camera is pretty obvious; Amy could get you one that doesn't stick out like a sore thumb."

Bando's eyes flicked to Mina, then she took the glasses off. "Is that what gave it away?" she asked.

"And the way you're sitting," Kyohei said. "You're trying to look relaxed, but you're just like Jo - always watching, always ready to move. Who are you, really?"

"Detective Ohato Bando, National Police, Tokyo Special Investigations Unit."

"The goddamm sex police?" Kyohei said. "Did my dad call you?"

"I'm not at liberty to say."

"Kyohei," Mina Hongo said, "that place reeked of sex and violence. You're am impressionable young man-"

"THEY'RE NOT DOING THAT TO ME!" Kyohei said. "I've been beaten up, shot at, blown up - Jo almost shot my junk off the first time she talked to me, though she gets like that every time Meg is kidnapped - I've been kidnapped, injected with nanotech that would have killed me in eight hours - if what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, those girls will make me the toughest S. O. B. to walk into any kitchen in Paris. I'll be cool as a cucumber and they'll say, 'How are you so calm?' And I'll say, 'I cooked for Sei.' 'Oh yeah, four crazy women, Mech, I hear ya.' It's great the cops looked into all that crap. Oh, wait you didn't. But Kyo knows girls who aren't wearing space suits the whole time? Sound the alarm! But, sorry to disappoint you, I haven't got laid once. They might as well as be a bunch of nuns walking around in their underwear for all the action that doesn't happen there. Jo doesn't even get 'my heroine' sex after she rescues Meg; she just zonks out to horror movies while Meg eats whatever she can find in the refrigerator and then they go to bed; Sei had to read Meg the riot act before she stopped eating the breakfasts I would leave for the next day. And yes, Meg and Jo have separate rooms, although I don't know who they think they're fooling at this point. Or maybe Jo just doesn't know what a lesbian is; you never know with her."

Bando soothed, "All right, all right, no need to get agitated Your teacher is just concerned about you-"

"I'm concerned about me! Don't you get it? I don't want to come here and say nice things about them. I cook for them because I want to get to France and Sei is the only person - the only one - who's supported me so far. I just hope it's worth it. But I've been in all sorts of trouble and they're a real pain the ass, but no, Sei is not, I repeat, not, let me say it again, NOT screwing me, at least not literally." He slapped his face. "I can't believe I just said that. I guess I'm going into 'protective custody' now."

Mina looked at Bando, then turned back to Kyohei and said, "All right, but you will let me know if she does anything out of the ordinary, all right?"

"As opposed to what? May I go now?"

"Yes."

After Kyohei had left, Mina said, "What do you think?"

"Hard to say. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he's smitten with her, even if he denies it. They seem to have a lot of issues, but that could be within the context of a normal friendship, just in abnormal circumstances. But I'll tell you this, Miss Hongo: I've interviewed dozens of victims and potential victims. Would you care to guess how many of them saw through my cover when I affected one?"

"How many, Detective?"

"One, and he just left the room."


	13. Chapter 13

The commander of the Special Investigations Unit was named Daizo Kobayshi. He was bald and in his early fifties, and he had commanded the unit for three years. He listened with the other detectives on the squad as Bando played back the video of the interview - which went to mostly audio after she'd taken the glasses off - and how Kyohei Tachibana had seen through her disguise.

"It could be he picked up some things from his mercenary employers," she explained, "and maybe as a rule would have become more observant. I've used the glasses for years, and no one has seen through them. He's actually pretty sharp."

"Or Sei trained him," Eiji said. "It could be part of her making him into her ideal man."

"He said she said she liked her men older."

"We have only his word she said it."

"So we're not going to take our potential victim at his word?"

"He wouldn't be the first victim to be enthralled by his abuser and cover for her."

"I'm sorry, Eiji, but this just doesn't feel that way to me."

"She could have trained him how to mask his feelings; told him what to say if anyone asked him about them."

"And she could be innocent and he could be getting frustrated because adults won't listen to him when he says nothing's going on."

Kobayashi's eyes flickered between the two detectives. The he gestured to them. "My office."

After Kobayashi had closed the office door on himself and Bando and Suzuki, he said, "Let me see if I understand the situation, Detective Suzuki: We do not have a victim. We do not have a victim's testimony. We do not have witnesses. We do not have physical evidence. We do not even have the 'he said' side of a 'he said-she said.' Your own partner isn't supporting your suspicions. All we have is your girlfriend's discomfort around a group of mercenaries who could be mistaken for lingerie models and whom our supposed victim has compared to nuns in a recording your partner made. In short, we do not have any evidence of a crime at all. Does that summarize the situation? Or would you care to dig the hole you're in a little deeper?"

"Captain-"

"I share your desire to get Sei Ping Ho off the streets, Detective. She and her ilk are a blight on the city. But we are first and foremost officers of the law. When laws have, in fact, been broken, we go after the offenders and bring them to justice. But we are not in the business of inventing crimes so we can pursue a personal vendetta. You have wasted this unit's time and resources on a fishing expedition that has not yielded anything that can not be explained away innocently. If Bailan's lawyers get wind of this, I'll be lucky to save our asses. While there is every reason to believe there are many thing Kyohei Tachibana has to discuss with his employer, there does not seem to be any reason for this office to be involved for one more minute. I expected better of you."

"All right, Captain, but what if there is something? She could do a lot of damage to this kid, and with Bailan's juice, she could get away with it."

"*If* there's something. You still haven't convinced me."

"All right then. What do you want us to do?"

Kobayahsi thought for a minute, then grabbed his coat off a coat rack. "You have other cases demanding your attention. Return to them and wait for my phone call."


	14. Chapter 14

"Kyohei?" Azumi said. "Got a moment?"

Sitting on his scooter, Kyohei paused putting on his helmet and took his earpiece out. "What is it, Azumi?"

"Is everything all right?"

"Yes. Why?"

"You didn't call yesterday."

"Oh, right, I'm sorry. I guess I got wrapped up talking with Eriko."

"Talking? You met her?"

"Voice chat through the internet."

"Oh. Huh."

"She has a medical condition."

"Really? What?"

"I don't…Look, 'Zumi, I gotta run. Amy just texted me where the trailer is, and I have to pick up some things before I make dinner for them."

"Ok, Kyohei - oh, wait! Could you do me a favor? Ask Jo who does her eyes and her hair. I was going to ask her on Saturday, but I forgot."

"No one. I think she was born that way."

"Oh. Ok, then, I'll see you later."

As Azumi watched Kyohei's scooter pull out into traffic and head away, Daiki Ichimonji came up to stand beside her.

"You gotta admit, Boss," Daiki said to his team leader, "he's happier and more relaxed than he's been since he started working for Sei."

"I know, Daiki. So why am I so worried?"


	15. Chapter 15

Seated at his private restaurant table, Don Laoban smiled at the Japanese detective standing before him. "Ah, Daizo. It has been too long, old friend. Please, sit. What can I do for you?"

Kobayashi sat across from Sei's grandfather. "I'm afraid I'm here in my official capacity."

"Regarding?"

"A young man employed by your granddaughter, a Kyohei Tachibana."

Laoban's face brightened. "Ah, young Kyohei! Were you planning on hiring him for a police function? I should warn you, he gets skittish at the thought of cooking for large crowds. Although his cooking is excellent."

"You know him?"

"I have yet to meet him in person, but my grand daughter won't shut up about his cooking skills, and she is always bringing me-" He broke off and became alarmed. "Why - has something happened? Sei will be beside herself."

"No, sir, he is well, but there are concerns about the nature of his relationship with your granddaughter, about whether there has been any … inappropriate contact between them."

Laoban dropped his fork and rubbed his temple. "Your Detective Suzuki. Again."

"I'm not at liberty to discuss-" Kobayashi started.

"Oh, please. I checked out your Detective Suzuki. Something of a loose canon who has run afoul of the NPA's upper echelons, but otherwise an honest man and a skilled investigator with enviable success rate. And despite being divorced with a teenaged daughter, notably incorruptible. I can respect that. It saddens me that he squanders his talents on this useless feud with my granddaughter, and I am doubly saddened that you have to deal with it."

"Be that as it may, I am duty bound to investigate any concerns brought to me."

"Where did these concerns originate?"

Kobayashi had no choice but to be honest. "Mina Hogon. She is my detective's girlfriend as well as Kyohei's teacher. She met Sei a couple of days ago."

"Ah, I see, a simple misunderstanding your detective is hoping to exploit. Please reassure your detective and through him, his paramour, that her concerns are unfounded. Not only do I hold Sei to the highest ethical standards, but she thinks the world of Kyohei. I can't imagine she would harm him in any way at all."


	16. Chapter 16

Kobayshi met Suzuki and Bando at an open air lunch kiosk in a market a few hours later.

Suzuki said, "Well?"

"Sei's old man thinks you'd be better off pursuing other cases," Kobayashi said, "that Kyohei is a good enough cook for a police function, and that there is no way Sei would do anything to harm him."

"You believe that, Captain?" Suzuki said. "Either he knows what she's doing or he's in denial. Either way, she's his only immediate family member, and he'd cover for her."

Bando put in, "Or there's nothing to cover."

Kobayashi looked between his two detectives. "It's not a good sign when you two don't agree. Can either of you give me a compelling reason to accept your argument?" He waited. When neither answered, he said, "I thought as much. We'll keep our ears open. If Sei is a predator, she'll screw up sooner or later. If she's not, then it's not our concern. Either way, we will no longer actively pursue this matter, and that includes any investigations on your own time. Bailan's lawyers will make mince meat out of us if we make the smallest mistake, and I won't have it, not on my watch. You have other cases demanding your attention. Get back to work on them as soon as you get back to the house, and I don't want to hear another word about Sei and Kyohei unless there's evidence that can stand up in court. Detectives." He turned and headed down the street.

Suzuki turned to Bando. "Why didn't you back me up?" he asked.

"Back what up?"

"You think Sei's innocent?"

"It's not my job to determine guilt or innocence. It's my job - and yours - to follow the evidence wherever it leads, and there's nothing here. No one is that cunning to not leave any trace at all, no one."

"She's guilty of something."

"Maybe, but if she's not molesting Kyohei Tachibana, then I will not pursue an innocent woman." Bando paused, then went on, "Eiji, you're my partner and you're my friend. You're one of the best detectives I've ever known. 99.99% of the time I trust your judgment; I'll follow you to the ends of the Earth if that what it takes to bring down a suspect. But the captain is right, and much as I'm loath to admit it, so is Sei's grandfather. You have to get past this fixation on Sei. You'll destroy yourself if you don't drop it."

"I can't do that, Ohato."

"For your sake - and the sake of all who care about you, Eiji - I hope you can."


	17. Chapter 17

"Jo?" Meg said as she crept over to where Kyohei was sitting in the living area. Another "Zero Hunt" had turned up nothing and they had just parked Django. "Come over here."

"What is it?" Jo came up behind Meg, her voice just barely departing from a monotone. Amy watched from the steps down from the cockpit, Sei leaning on the wall next to her.

Meg leaned in over in front of Kyo, frowning. "Hmmm. There's something wrong with his face. See how the corners of his mouth are a little higher than normal? What do you call that? Um, um, I remember - a smile! That's it. He's smiling."

Kyo chuckled and shook his head.

"And a laugh," Meg said. "Oh my Gawd, could he actually be happy?" She put a hand on his forehead. "No fever." She held his wrist. "Pulse seems normal." She looked at Kyo's legs. "And yup, he appears to be floating a millimeter above the cushion. No doubt about it, Jo, he's showing all the symptoms. He's happy. That has to be a Burst Angel first, Kyohei coming to work and not being down in the dumps." She turned to Kyohei. "And do we have the lovely and mysterious Eriko to thank for your condition?"

Kyo nodded. "Yes, Meg."

"Excellent! I like seeing you smile, Kyo; it's about time someone inverted those frowns. Eriko has my gratitude. So what happened? Spill! Did you finally meet her?"

"No, we spent Saturday night and a good chunk of yesterday talking."

"Talking? You have her phone number?"

"Voice chat through a custom app. She has some kind of medical condition and has to use a voice synthesizer."

"What kind of medical condition?"

Kyo shrugged.

"Can I talk to her?" Meg asked.

"I think she's shy," Kyo answered. "I brought it up and she says she only wants to talk to me for a while."

"Oh. Huh. Ok."

Sei interjected, "And we will respect their privacy."

"Ok," Meg said. "Still, like I keep saying, good for you, pal." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, drinking in the aromas from the kitchen area. "Ah! And now, Kyohei, my darling, tell me, what manner of repast have you prepared for us tonight?"

"Chicken tetrazzini-" Kyo started.

The oven timer beeped.

"-and it's done."

Kyo crossed to the kitchen and put on a pair of oven mitts. He pulled the steaming casserole out the oven and put it on the counter.

Sei opened a cabinet to get some plates. "Will you be joining us tonight, Kyo?"

"Like I have a choice?"

All activity in the room froze.

Sei turned around. "Excuse me?"

"That came out wrong," Kyo said. "I spend a lot of time here, and I have a lot of studying to do."

"You can leave anytime you want as long as your work is done."

"I know. I know. I'm good, Sei, really."

"Tell you what," Sei said. "After you're finished eating, you take off." She gestured at the other girls. "These three can clean up."

Amy snapped, "Thanks, Kyo!"

Kyo grinned. "What are friends for?"

Kyo served the tetrazzini, admonishing them that it was hot, and they started to eat; for once, Jo didn't reach for the hot sauce. They were joking about it when there was a knock on the door.

Sei checked the security monitor; it was her grandfather. She slid it open. "Grandfather!"

"May I come in?"

"Of course." Grandfather entered and smiled at the table. "Ah, Kyo, nice to meet you at last. Whatever that is, it smells delicious. Pity I can't stay long. Sei, can I have a private word with you?"

"Of course. Meg, do NOT eat my portion."

Sei lead her grandfather into the cockpit and touched a button closing the hatch to the rest of the huge cab. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Today, I received an unexpected visit from an old friend," Grandfather said, "a university friend who is now the commander of Tokyo's Special Investigations Unit."

Sei rolled her eyes. "Suzuki and Bando. Again. They're good cops. When will they stop hounding me and direct their attentions somewhere else?"

"My sentiments exactly. This time, Detective Suzuki seems to think you have been taking liberties with Master Tachibana."

"What-!? That's a new one on me. I trust you told your friend there was nothing to those suspicions."

"I did. And there is nothing to them, yes?"

"What-are you-don't tell me you're buying into this nonsense!"

"You've grown to be a lovely young woman, Sei, and Kyohei wouldn't be the first young man to have a crush on his boss."

Sei stared at her grandfather for a long moment before answering: "In the first place, Grandfather, Kyo is barely more than a boy, and boys don't do it for me. We actually talked about this on Saturday. I made it clear to him I prefer men, and he told me he doesn't want me. So much for that idea. And I support that decision; he has to have a life away from this madness, especially as he won't be here forever. In the second place, he is a valued member of my household and a friend, nothing more. I enjoy having him around, but there is nothing more to it than that. In the third place, he has a girlfriend, or at least a female friend he is very close to. While I might be … flattered if he fantasizes about me, it looks like he has found someone else he wants to have a relationship with; he doesn't need me. I'm surprised you gave these hysterical notions any credence, Grandfather. If it had been anyone else I would have given them a good swift punch on the nose."

Grandfather smiled. "Forgive an old man for being concerned about his granddaughter. I never should have doubted you. Please accept my apologies."

"Accepted. Will you be staying for dinner?"

"No, I'm afraid other urgent matters command my attention. I'll simply wait for the next care package."

After Grandfather had left and Sei had returned to the table - pleased that Meg hadn't eaten her portion - Meg said, "What that all about?"

Sei sighed as she wrapped some spaghetti around her fork. "It seems we have once again attracted the attention of Tokyo's finest."

Kyo asked, "Tokyo's finest what?"

Meg explained, "Two cops with the NPA's sex and mafia police, Eiji Suzuki and Ohata-"

"-Bando?"

"You know them, Kyo?"

"Bando came to Love and Happy, Meg, asking all sorts of questions. They think you're raping me or something-" He cursed. "Miss H. e-mailed one of the pics she took of us to my dad, and he was on my case. I bet he called the cops." He cursed again.

"Don't get excited about it," Sei advised. "Suzuki is an otherwise good cop who has convinced himself that shutting me down is the key to curing Tokyo's ills. Between us, if that were true, I would have shut myself down a long time ago. In any case, Suzuki and Bando sniff around every once in a while, get bored, and move on once other cases attract their attention. Don't worry about it. Look at me. Am I worried?"

"No," Kyo said. "It's just that…I…" He gave up trying to find the words and let his hands flop down to his lap. "Suddenly, I'm not hungry."

Meg hazarded, "Can I have yours?"

"Knock yourself out. Mind if I get going, Sei?"

"No."

Kyohei and the girls said their "goodnight's," then Sei walked him out to his scooter.

"Don't worry about Suzuki and Bando," Sei advised. "They're a minor irritant. Go home, get a good night's sleep, go to class, and show your fellow students what you're made of. After your performance on the test, you have no excuse for not blowing them out of the water."

"Yes, Mom. Oh, and I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier."

"I already forgot about it. You're tired and under a lot of pressure, and Tokyo's hound dogs are not helping. Perfectly understandable. You get on home, now. Drive safely."

Kyo started the scooter. "Want anything in particular tomorrow night?"

"I will have the chef's choice. Surprise me. I'm confident you will not disappoint me."

"No pressure. G'night, Sei."

"Good night, Kyohei. Say hello to Eriko for me."

"Will do."

As Kyo drove away, Sei's eyes followed the scooter, and she remembered what she had told Grandfather about Kyo's budding friendship with Eriko:

'…he doesn't need me.'

Why was the thought bothering her?

"Nonsense," she muttered with a wave of her hand, "he's just a boy." And she headed back into the trailer.


	18. Chapter 18

The shouting match between Kyohei and his dad didn't last very long. Dad denied having called the police, and refused to believe Kyo's insistent that the girls weren't doing anything to him. "Well," Mr. Tachibana shouted, "if they mean so much to you, you can go back to them!"

"I will!" And Kyohei stormed out of the house five minutes after he'd got home.

He had gone through the first light down the street from his house when his phone chimed. He glanced at the screen and saw Eriko's app had kicked in.

He pulled over and put his earpiece in. "Hey," he said.

"You didn't contact me from your home and I got worried," Eriko said. "You're still on your mobile source. Is anything wrong?"

"Other than my whole life?" He paused then thought about it. "My dad refuses to believe the girls aren't doing stuff to me or using me as a drug mule or God knows what, and either he kicked me out or I left."

"So where are you going now?"

"Back to the trailer. I figure I'll ask Sei if I can crash on the sofa."

"Why? I mean, why go back there? Ok, I believe you when you say they're not doing stuff to you, but it just seems to me you're bouncing back and forth between two places causing you a lot of stress."

"Are you saying I should quit or leave home?"

"No. But I was thinking, why not have a second part-time job? You'd make a little extra money, especially on days when you don't work for the girls, and have a place to go away from the places that stress you out."

"I thought about that, but the only things that could work aren't cooking jobs."

"Then you're lucky you have me! Have you heard of the Opera House restaurant?"

"Yeah. Been open a few years. Off the Ginza. Not too pricey. Heard the food is good."

"My grandmother owns it, and they need someone to help out part time from 8 to 11 PM, with the late supper crowd. That would be after you're normally done with Sei, right?"

"Yeah, Eriko, though I normally stick around for a while."

"Well, Kyo, you can finish with the girls, work for a couple more hours at the Opera House, make a little more money and de-stress at the same time."

"Yeah, that can work. Gee, thanks. Give me the number and I'll call in the morning."

"Why not go over there right now?"

"Huh? But I'm not dressed for a job interview. I don't have my resume-"

"The only thing Nana would want to know is if you can cut it in the kitchen. She can see you right now."

"Meaning you've already set this up, Eriko."

"No, Kyo, I've learned my lesson. But I have told her all about you, and if I tell her you're on your way over, she'll see you." Eriko paused. "Come awwwwwnnnn, Kyohei, what could it hurt? Even if doesn't work out, it'll take your mind off your troubles for a while. Pweeeeesssseee, for me?"

Kyohei chuckled. "Only if you never say 'pweese' again."

"Promise!"


	19. Chapter 19

Mrs. Genji, sole proprietor of the Opera House restaurant, was in her sixties and wore a black dress and walked with a large black cane.

"My granddaughter has told me a great deal about you," she said after Kyo had introduced himself. "She says you want to go to Paris and become a pastry chef?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"How admirable. Too many young people see the culinary profession as something to pay their bills while they go to school to get 'better jobs,' or just a way to get started in the work force, and that's if you're generous and consider fast food joints part of the culinary profession. We need more young people like you to see this as a calling. And to go to France for you apprenticeship! For one so young to have such a lofty goal is remarkable."

"Thank you, Ma'am." Kyohei was practically giddy - Sei was the only other person (outside his culinary school) who had ever said anything complimentary about his ambitions. And he thought, 'Maybe I was looking in the wrong place after all?'

"Follow me," Mrs. Genji said.

She led Kyohei to the kitchen and pointed to an alcove. "Uniforms are there. Once you are changed, I will give you exactly five minutes to learn where everything is, then you start taking orders form the waiters and assisting the chef. If you can keep up, the job is yours."

"Five minutes to scope this place out?"

"Are you saying you need more time?"

"I'm saying I don't need it. I saw everything I needed to see when we came through the door."

"Then get changed. You will start at once."

The next three hours were a happy blur for Kyohei. And after one hour Mrs. Genji was so impressed she allowed him to handle some orders on his own.

But what Kyo found most enjoyable was what didn't happen: He wasn't caught in the middle of mech battles; he didn't have to cower as bullets crisscrossed inches from his body; he didn't have a front row seat for a lesbian/bisexual/whatever soap opera; he wasn't teased, harassed, or lead into a forbidden part of town …

…he didn't have to struggle to look his boss in the face, as her barely-covered boobs drew his eyes down like a pair of melon-shaped magnets …

… for three hours, all he had to do was cook and not worry about anything else. He lost track of time and was surprised when the three hours were up.

"Well done, young man," Mrs. Genji said. "I would call you 'impressive,' but that would be an understatement. If you give me your account information, I will transfer your wages immediately. It may not be as much as you get paid by this 'other job' my granddaughter has mentioned, but it will be sufficient."

Kyohei grinned. "Whatever you want to pay me, Mrs. G., is fine with me."


	20. Chapter 20

Sei tossed and turned in her small bunk bed. She had turned in shortly after the girls had finished cleaning up after dinner. The trailer had seemed too empty without Kyohei, so she had called an early light's out and changed into a pair of panties and a night shirt with the French flag on it. But she had felt wide awake, a soft pain twisting in her stomach, and she didn't know why. No, she did: Eriko. Seeing how Kyo smiled about her, the light in his eyes, the tone of his voice when he mentioned her name…all those things were tiny daggers going into her.

Could those cops be right after all? Had she paid him exorbitant wages and replaced his scooters and done everything conceivable to cater to his needs and wishes because she wanted to … because she thought he would show his gratitude by…

'Get a grip, girl,' she admonished herself. 'Suzuki will have you planning your wedding next. You admire his ambitions and want to help, and you're replacing property your field commander has destroyed. You'd do the same if Leo's car was wrecked, or if Meg's cowboy hat was burned to crisp. You are NOT in love with Kyohei!'

So why wasn't she sleeping? Not because of Eriko alone, she decided, but because of everything hitting her all at once: Eriko, Subject Zero, and Suzuki all together. Who wouldn't have a little trouble sleeping? Yes, that was it. She was jumpier than normal and the unresolved questions about Eriko were making her paranoid where she should have merely been curious. Once Suzuki had lost interest and this Subject Zero business had been resolved - in other words, once Jo had blown it to bits despite her orders (again) - and she had met Eriko in person, everything would be fine. And Kyohei needed a young woman his own age. Scratch that - a girl his age, because Kyo was a boy. Yes, that made sense. 'He needs a life away from me,' Sei thought, 'a life where he can pursue his dreams and be safe and happy. And he will be in the long run. Now that that's settled, get some sleep.'

But telling herself that didn't make sleep come any quicker. At midnight, she rolled onto her back and turned on the light on the underside of the cabinets above her bunk. The light illuminated the snap shots she'd taped to the cabinets underside: All candid snapshots of Kyohei and the girls Sei had taken when the others weren't looking. Kyo was usually in the foreground and near the center of each shot, but that had been merely a coincidence.

She sat up on the edge of the bunk, worked her feet into her favorite pair of bunny slippers, and pushed her door open, surprised to see lights still on. She shuffled into the living area where she found Jo sitting on the sofa and watching the gun camera views of fight with Zero's cybot on the room's giant flat screen TV.

Sei sat down next to her. "Horror videos getting dull?"

"I'm trying to-" Jo broke off when she saw Sei's feet. "Bunnies?"

"Bunnies. What?"

Jo turned away. "Whatever."

"You were saying?"

"I'm trying to get inside the enemy's…thoughts, and I'm not liking what I find there."

Sei thought, 'So not only an expert at armed and unarmed combat but a strategist as well? Where did you come from, Jo? Who are you?'

Sei said, "You think you know what it's up to?"

"Not specifically," Jo answered, "but whatever it's doing, I feel it's been planning this for a long time, and it is specifically targeting us. It has been all along."

"Why?"

"I was hoping you could tell me."

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"Really?"

Sei didn't miss the meaning of that one word. "It is true that in the past, I have provided information strictly on a need-to-know basis," Sei said, "but in this matter, you know as much as I do. I have no idea what this thing could want with us."

"We have to figure it out, and fast," Jo said. "This thing is ten moves ahead of us and we don't know what the game is. But it's planning something big. It's waiting for the time of its choosing to hit us really hard. If we can't take the fight to it before then, we're in for a world of hurt."

"Great. No pressure."

Jo raised the remote and clicked off the video and then the TV. "This is boring. It's the waiting that gets me. I'm turning in." She got up and walked past Sei, then stopped and turned back. "Sei. Mind if I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"Why won't you let Kyohei quit?"

"Any question except that one."

"Why's that topic off limits?"

"What do you want to know, Jo?"

"He quit the first day, Sei. You brought him back."

"We agreed he should come back."

"No, we agreed he was a good cook and not a bad guy. You said you thought we could get him back, and the next morning you went back to the school and got him. Amy told me he asked if that could be his last day, and you made him come back by buttering up his ego."

"Are you saying you don't want him around?"

"No. He is a good cook, and I like him personally. But he keeps ending up in the field, where he can be a liability, although I confess not so much lately. But he doesn't feel comfortable here. You've heard his little gaffs. He may be a growing boy with active glands, but staring at your breasts will only make up for so much. Maybe he'd be better off in a regular job, and Bailan could find us a good cook with a military background who could handle himself in the field if needed."

"Jo, you are my field commander," Sei said in a low, steady voice, "and in operational matters I trust your judgment. But how I choose to run my household is my business. Kyohei is our friend, and you are concerned for him. That's admirable. But I would appreciate it if in the future, you keep your nose out of household business. Clear?"

"Clear. But Kyo's not the one I'm worried about, Sei."

"Oh…Just go to bed!"

Jo nodded and headed for her room.

Sei cursed. "Thank you Detective Suzuki," she hissed. "I'm never going to get to sleep now."


	21. Chapter 21

_Sei sits on the white blanket they've spread under the tree in the park, spreading out the food from the picnic basket and watching as her husband, Kyo corals their two daughters, six year old Meg and four year old Jo. Kyo picks up Jo and smiles at his wife; they both now know their private joke that the children can be even more difficult to manage than their namesakes._

_Her husband, her children, the sun shining down on their picnic in the park - Sei drinks the moment and the love filling it, her eyes never leaving Kyo. The boy she once saw waiting on a street corner for what would be the strangest job interview ever has become the man she will spend the rest of her life with…_

… Sei woke up and for a moment, wondered where she was and what had happened to her family. Then she remembered it was only a dream - one of the recurring dreams that had plagued her since she'd met Kyohei. Was her subconscious on the police's payroll?

Sei got out of bed, shuffled over to her vanity, turned on the light, and looked at herself in the mirror. She wore only a small amount of makeup during the day, but even without it, she was still beautiful. 'Beauty befitting a princess,' grandfather often joked, 'a face that launched a thousand ships,' not realizing the part of the flattery that always cut her: A princess is nothing without a prince to marry her.

And Sei had always known that as long as she pursued the mission she had given herself, she would never have a prince.

'You knew the reality going in,' she silently told the woman in the mirror. 'A husband, children - not for you. You should have had your tubes tied, instead of holding out the tiniest glimmer of hope it's still possible. An Imperial princess has a better chance at a "normal life" than you. You've known that all along. You may not even be alive in a year, so why even think about a family? And Kyohei? Don't be ridiculous! You made your peace with this years ago. Suck it up and get with the program. And don't you dare cry again.'

But whatever part of herself she was trying to talk to didn't listen again, and once more, she wept for the life she would never have and the children who would never be born.

But at least she knew she would stop crying by the time the others got up, and they would never know it had happened….again.


	22. Chapter 22

Mr. and Mrs. Tachibana smiled slightly as Kyohei spent breakfast describing his previous night's job interview/audition and his enthusiasm for working at the Opera House.

Dad had to be skeptical as always: "I'm glad you're happy, son. But isn't it strange that she saw you in the middle of the night?"

Kyo sighed and plunked Dad's laptop on the table in front of it. "Here you go, Dad: search engine results for the Opera House restaurant, Tokyo, Japan. Official web site, reviews by noted restaurant critics, entries in travel guide - hell, the waitresses actually wear pants. Can't you be happy for me?"

Mom smiled. "If you're happy, I'm happy, Dear. So you'll be quitting your job with Sei?"

"No, Mom."

"But Kyo-"

"I still have to save money for going abroad, Mom. Even if I worked full time at the Opera House and kept living here, I couldn't do that without the income from Sei. But working at the Opera House will help me get there a little quicker."

"Well…" Dad said, "I still think this pastry chef business is a bad idea, and I won't complain if you wise up and finally give it up. But if you have your heart set on being a professional chef, then this Opera House seems like a step in the right direction."


	23. Chapter 23

Kyo's enthusiasm remained infectious that evening when he cooked for Sei, the girls, and Leo.

"…it was a total rush," Kyo said as he worked at the stove, "kind of a Zen thing. I can't really describe it; either you know what it's like or you don't. And after I got home, I just collapsed. I was pooped but I felt great."

Jo grinned. "Welcome to my world."

Meg chuckled. "Yeah, we'll have to watch him, see if a tattoo of a spatula appears on his arm and starts glowing whenever he gets near a stove."

Kyo smiled back. "All chefs have that, Meg. Why do you think I wear long-sleeve shirts?"

Meg laughed. "Good one! But seriously, Kyo, it sounds like a great gig; I'm glad it's working out for you."

"Thanks, Meg."

"And if they could use a couple of crazy waitresses, and don't mind having the building destroyed, you'll put in a good word for us, right?"

"I will, Meg - after I make sure they're insured."

Meg laughed again and said, "Y-y-yeeah, we're an insurance risk all by ourselves!"

Jo smiled.

"It's good Eriko was able to arrange this for you," Sei said. "But you're sure you will be able to fulfill your obligations here as well?"

(Meg, Amy, and Jo exchanged glances at the question.)

Kyo nodded. "No problem, Sei; Eriko already thought of that." He pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Sei. "She found this place online with 24 hours delivery service and yes, they emphasize nutritious meals - whole grains, complex carbs, the works. You can use that to cover for me when I'm not here."

"Yes, well…" Sei said, "as long as you can still make it-"

"I said I would!" Kyo snapped.

Sei got her back up. "Watch your tone with me, young man."

"Or what?" Kyo sneered. "You'll fire me? Is that a promise?"

Sei got nose-to-nose with him. "You watch your mouth, Mister. I am the last person in the world you want to mess with."

"So it's work for you or die, is it? Gotta tell you, Sei, that's one hell of a severance package you've got there. Which reminds me, what did happen to your last cook, anyway?"

"What are you implying?"

"You're the mastermind around here - you figure it out."

Meg's eyes went back and forth between Sei and Kyo. "Hey, guys - what's going on here?"

Leo stepped forward. "I'm sure we're all happy for Kyo, but Sei just wants to smooth out some details. No need to make a federal case out of it. Right, Sei?"

Sei kept her eyes locked on Kyo. Then she smiled. "Of course. It's just a simple misunderstanding. And I get cranky when I'm hungry. I apologize, Kyo. I was out of line. Congratulations." She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I hope it works out for you."

"Uh…yeah, thanks, Sei."


	24. Chapter 24

There were no further arguments during dinner, and when Kyo wanted to leave to begin his shift at the Opera House, Meg and Jo walked him out to his scooter.

Meg didn't hide her concern. "You all right?" she said. "I've never seen you blow up at Sei like that."

"Hey," Kyo said averting his eyes as he got on his scooter, "it's nothing."

"No, it's not, Kyo," Meg said. "Look at me, Kyo. Kyo? Look at me. Look at me."

Kyo looked her.

"What you, Jo, and I have been through together would fill a book," Meg said. "We've seen some serious crap together and come out alive. All kidding aside, Jo and I aren't just your friends - we're your blood sisters. You got a problem, you should know you can come to us."

"I know, Meg, I know… I guess in spite of everything, you guys have grown on me. Every time I learn something new at school, I want to try it here. You're my guinea pigs. If you like it, I know I can do it anywhere. And if Jo doesn't like it even with hot sauce, I figure it's toxic and I will never serve it again."

Meg smiled at that.

"But, Meg…" Kyo went on, his smile fading, "I didn't sign up for this."

Meg put a hand on his shoulder. "I know…I know."

"I just love to cook," Kyo said. "That's all I want to do. I'd cook 24-7 if I could. And French Pastries, they're like works of art. The moment I learned about them, that's what I wanted to do with my life. That's why I'm here. When I called the number on that flier, that's what I thought I would do - just cook. Maybe work for three supermodels living in a townhouse or something, or three old ladies, I don't know. Though I'm glad you're all easy on the eyes. Even Amy has her cute moments."

Meg smiled. "Careful, Kyo. If you keep saying things like that, we may think you like us, and we'll never let you go." (Sei came to the door and watched from the top of the steps.)

Kyo chuckled. "But the rest of it, Meg …the Cybots, the glowing brains, having mechs almost land on me, being in shootouts and kidnapped and dragged all over the place…"

"I know … Buddy, I know."

"I hate to tell you this, Meg, because you can be nice and like you say, we have been through a lot together, but if I could do it all over again, I'd throw that damned flier in the garbage."

"And I wouldn't blame you at all, Kyo, though I'm glad you found us. We all are. But listen to me, if you put up with all our crap and still manage to fulfill your dream, then all of this will have been worth it."

"I suppose it would have."

Meg smiled. "And if, some day, four crazy women come into your pastry shop in Paris…"

Kyo smiled. "I know-run like hell."

"No," Meg smiled, "serve us gooey and fattening and sinfully delicious confections that will give our nutritionists nightmares. Then run like hell."

Kyo laughed. "Ok, Meg, I think I can do that."

Meg gave him a hug. "You have a good night, ok? Show those clowns at the Opera House how it's really done. And remember, you can talk to me any time. I'm here for you. We all are."

"I know. Thanks, Meg."

Meg watched the scooter head away. She started to turn towards the steps, then stopped and glared across the abandoned mall's parking lot. "Oh, crap."

"What?" Sei called from the top of the steps.

Meg pointed at a car parked hundreds of yards away. "Guess."

The car started to pull away.

Sei cursed, darted back into the trailer, and grabbed her coat, her phone and her car keys. "Wait for me here."


	25. Chapter 25

"So how do you want to spin it?" Ohato Bando asked. She and Eiji were in Ohato's small apartment, hunched over her laptop and going over the surveillance footage they had shot of Sei's trailer.

'You don't have to come,' Eiji had said. 'You heard the captain.'

'And you're my partner.'

"Spin what?" Eiji asked.

"The hug," Ohato said. "We could say Meg was trying to strangle him, but it doesn't look like that. Or maybe they just shot a threesome, and the embrace was post-coital. If we can't find the footage, think we can find some look-alikes to fake some?"

Eiji cursed and leaned back in his chair.

"Eiji, I was there when we shot it and I've looked at this a dozen times. All I see is a girl expressing concern to her friend, and I can guess why. What we're doing is bordering on harassment, and it looks like we're starting to tear their lives apart. If we turn up nothing, then we've created needless suffering at the cost of our jobs. How much longer do you want to pursue this?"

"I don't know…"

A panel near the apartment door chimed. Ohato crossed to it and pressed a button. A screen lit showing Sei at the apartment's mail boxes in the foyer.

"Yes?" Ohato asked.

Sei held up her cell phone, making sure the contacts screen was visible to the camera. "You can talk to me now," Sei said, "or I can call my attorney and he can talk with your prosecutor. You have fifteen seconds to decide."

Ohato exchanged looks with Eiji, the pressed the button unlocking the front door. "Come on up."

When Sei got to the apartment, she didn't waste any time. "Let me see it," she said. "And if you're going to claim it's evidence, you had better be able to produce a warrant."

The cops had no choice. They showed Sei the laptop and played the footage.

Sei smiled…a LITTLE. "Not bad," she said, "even if it is totally inadmissible and could end your careers. That's a good shot of Meg, considering the lighting." She turned to Suzuki. "I'd ask you if you wanted a job, but even if you wouldn't have said 'no,' you shouldn't have pissed me off."

Eiji smiled. "Actually, as you just pointed out, I might need that job."

"Too bad for you," Sei said, "though if a man is known by his enemies, I might be persuaded to write you a letter of recommendation, assuming you catch me in a forgiving mood." The trace of a smile faded and she squared off with the cop. "Detective Suzuki. I have heard many good things about you. I believe you are one of the few good cops left. This city could use more men like you, and for that reason, believe it or not, I have a lot of respect for you. Normally, I let you spin your wheels until you go away on your own. But my team is in the middle what is proving to be an unusually difficult and potentially dangerous operation and I do not have time to worry about your antics while I am trying to keep my girls alive. So let me say this once and for all: I am not having an intimate relationship with Kyohei Tachibana, nor is it likely I ever will. He is not in such a relationship with Jo or Meg or both of them at the same time, though it is their business if they want to. We are not abusing him in any way at all, and we are not using him for any other illegal purpose. He is our chef - and a damn good one, I may add - and a very good friend of ours. Nothing more than that. Is that clear enough for you?"

"Sei, what you have just done may be considered intimidating a police officer."

"You are welcome to arrest me, Detective Suzuski, if only so I can be there when you have to explain to your superiors why I had to come here, five minutes before they let me go." Sei held her hands out. "But if you think you can pull this off and still have a job tomorrow, slap the cuffs on right now and take me in."

Ohato and Eiji exchanged glances. They couldn't do anything, and they knew it.

Sei lowered her hands and said, "I thought as much. I came here as a courtesy, and I trust this will be the end of this nonsense. But if you continue to harass me and mine, I will fight back, and that is a fight you will lose. Up until now, you have been an annoyance. Don't make the mistake of making me consider you a serious threat. This is your only warning. Detectives." She left.

Ohato said, "And I guess that is the end of that."

She was wrong.


	26. Chapter 26

"I apologize for that," Sei said when she got back to the trailer, "but I believe Suzuki and Bando won't be bothering us again for a while…"

Amy yawned.

"Amy," Sei said, "do you think you can stay up a little longer?"

"Yes, Sei."

"In that case, Jo, Leo, please give us your analysis."

Sei, Meg, and Amy sat on the sofa facing the giant screen TV. Jo and Leo stood to one side of it. Jo tabbed a tablet and a map of Tokyo appeared on the screen sprinkled with stars. All but one was gray, except for one red one.

Jo said, "Our quarry remains as elusive as ever, and Sei and I are convinced it has targeted us. I do not want to wait for it to strike, so I have tried to analyze its movements-"

Sei grumbled, "Why don't we ask Eriko? She seems to have all the answers."

Jo looked at her.

"Sorry," Sei said. "Jo. Please continue."

Jo nodded. "Based on-"

Sei mumbled, "Maybe I should have told Eriko about Suzuki and Bando and she could have taken care of them…No, Jo, sorry, please do go on."

Jo took a deep breath. "The gray stars are the Bailan sightings where we investigated without making contact, and the red marks our one engagement. It does not appear to be straying too far from the downtown core. This implies that-"

"At least we now know Eriko is a local girl," Sei said. "I'd been worried it was some bald fat guy named Eric Swartz who still lived in his mom's basement in Wisconsin ten years after she'd died and wondered why he was still having trouble getting a girlfriend at 55. Boy, would that have been a surprise. But no, it's a nice ordinary local girl whose grandmother just happens to own a restaurant that he likes working at more than here. But maybe it's a better fit for him anyway. Obviously, Eriko is making Kyo very happy. And if Kyo's happy, I'm happy," Sei groused.

"Do you want to do this some other time?" Jo asked.

"No, Jo," Sei said. "I apologize. I've been a little stressed…"

"No kidding," Meg grumbled.

Sei cleared her throat. "Let's strike while the iron is hot. Please, Jo, continue."

Jo took an even deeper breath. "At first blush, trying to locate the cybot's base may seem impossible, even with Bailan's assistance on the ground. But based on its size and potential fuel requirements-"

Sei said, "Of course, Kyo still needs me if he wants to get to France. But if Eriko is so settled with ties to the community, maybe he'll want to stay with her and he won't want to get to France anymore…"

(Jo put down the tablet. "That's it," she said, "I'm cleaning my guns." "I'll join you," Leo said.)

"…And now that I think about it, maybe he doesn't even need to go to France to study how to make French pastries," Sei went on. "He's a bright boy - he could looks up the recipes on the internet. He could make them himself without every leaving this country. So that's it for Sei and her three crazy girls. But we'd have the 24 hour place, so we'd be fine. We probably never needed him in the first place. We could have been just fine without him and not have to worry about saving his sorry ass, and once he stops coming around here, we won't even notice. And he can work more hours at the Opera House. He does well enough, he could quit Love and Happy and start full time and make a nice living. And then he could get seed money from Eriko's grandmother and open a little pastry stand right here in Tokyo…"

(Amy bent over her laptop. "Hmm, London is up 215 points. To flash crash or not to flash crash, that is the question.")

"…Pretty soon the stand is doing so well he moves into a pastry shop. And then he opens another location. And another. And before you know it, he has a chain of pastry shops with locations on both sides of the Pacific rim…"

("Hey, Jo, what do you think of the model 706's?" "Haven't had a chance to look, Leo, but read some good reviews. Could you pass the cleaning fluid please?")

"…He'll be the pastry king of Asia and then the world," Sei went on, "and culinary students in France will come to Japan to apprentice under him. And he and Eriko will have a couple of kids and a dog and a nice house in the suburbs - no, a mansion in the exurbs - no, one mansion here, one in Hawaii, and a town house in New York and maybe another one in Paris - no, there would be definitely one in Paris, and a yacht on the French Riviera - and a place in Nice, why not? - and a buddy who loans him a place in Italy…"

("Nah," Amy decided, "I'll leave London alone. Wonder what's new in Area 51?")

"…and if he thinks of us at all it'll be to wonder why he stuck with us at all when Eriko was there to answer all his prayers. He'll be glad to be quit of us, but you know what, we'll have probably forgot all about him by then, so everyone's happy, so who am I to complain? Nope, if that's how he wants to run his life, you won't see me-"

Meg exclaimed, "Oh, for the love of God! Sei, why don't you just come out and admit it?"

"Admit what, Meg?"

"That you're in love with Kyohei, Sei."

"What-Meg-no, you've got it wrong-"

"You are so, Sei, and now that I think about it, you've had your heart on your sleeve from day one. You may not get gushy, but it's been there from the start. Remember, Amy?" Meg affected a dreamy look: "'He's a master chef from a top cooking school. He dreams of going to France. Why don't we help him with his dream?'"

Amy didn't look away from her laptop but she nodded.

"You're exaggerating," Sei said.

"Am I?" Meg asked. "Then why are you so jealous?"

"I am not jealous, Meg."

"You are so, Sei. You think Kyohei's leaving you for another woman, and you can't stand it."

"Are you wearing a wire for Suzuki, Meg?"

"You know me better than that, Sei. We're your friends; we'll understand. So what if he's three years younger than you? That's not a huge age difference, and nobody would hold it against you. Nobody but those idiot cops anyway. But the heart wants what it wants. There's no shame in admitting-"

"THERE'S NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING TO ADMIT TO!" Sei shouted as she sprang to her feet. "Kyohei is a valued employee and a friend, nothing more. As a friend, I have taken an interest in his future, and I am concerned about that - period! I do not know how this became Accuse Sei of Perversion Week, but I am getting tired of it, and I want it to stop NOW. Not. Another. Word. Am I clear, ladies?"

Meg, Jo, and Amy nodded.

"Good," Sei said. "We have more important issues to discuss. But just in case there are any lingering doubts as to my taste in MEN…" She crossed to Leo, grabbed his collar, yanked him to his feet, mashed a kiss onto his mouth, let him go, and Leo flopped back into his chair.

"What just happened?" Leo muttered.

"There," Sei said. "Will that dispel any doubts, Meg? Or do Leo and I have to have sex on the kitchen floor in front of everybody?"

"No, Sei."

"Thank you, Meg. Jo, Leo, please resume your presentation."

Leo said, "Sure, no problem. And I didn't need those tonsils anyway. I'll be fine. Thanks for asking."

Jo said, "You sure, Sei?"

"Yes, Jo."

"All right." Jo picked up her tablet. "As I was saying-"

Sei whispered, "Eriko."

Jo rolled her eyes. This was going to be a long meeting.


	27. Chapter 27

The next few days brought no further arguments. Kyo cooked dinner, but didn't stay to eat any longer. The 24 hour delivery place reliably brought healthy snacks on demand, but even Meg picked at them. And a chilly air had settled over the trailer.

Meg was almost relieved when there was a Zero sighting down by the docks after dinner one evening. But by the time she and Jo had piloted Django there, there was no sign. The robot stood on a pier and waited. And waited.

And waited.

And when Jo finally started getting really bored, she had Django sit cross-legged on the pier and lean it's head in one hand.

"Oh, no," Meg said from the pilot seat. "Jo-" Then her console beeped. Two RAPT mechs were rolling up to them. "Oh, great."

One of the cops voices came over the speakers: "Unregistered mech pilot, power down your weapons and disembark now."

Django's head swung lazily around to look at the cops, then turned back and rested its head on one hand.

"Did you hear what I said?" the cop snapped.

In the pilot's seat, Jo's pose mirrored the robot's. Behind her, Meg opened her mike. "Um, Mr. RAPT cop, sir? We're licensed private contractors and we're on a job that, well, it hasn't panned out. We have this target, see, that rabbits before we get to it, and then my pilot gets bored out of her skull. You've had nights like that, right? When nothing happened? And you're just better off if you go home? So, maybe you think something happened at the other end of the dock, and-"

The air flickered near the two cops, and the Subject Zero cybot appeared there, apparently taking in the view over the ocean and ignoring everything.

"Jo!" Meg tapped Jo's shoulder. Jo saw the cybot on her monitor and perked up.

Jo said into the mike, "Coppers, be cool, just take it easy, that Cybot can be-"

The lead cop wheeled on the Cybot. "Deactivate your weapons and disembark now!"

The Cybot kicked the cop, making it stagger back. It didn't fall off the pier, but as it regained its balance, the Zero cybot raised a gun arm and aimed at the cop.

"No!" Jo fired Django's rockets and boddy-slamed the cybot from a sitting postion, sending the arm and its shot wild. The Cybot fired its engines and jetted a few hundred feet up, fired at the three robots, then flew over the rows of stacked shipping containers and seemed to set down farther down it.

The cop Jo had saved stammered, "What was that?"

Jo wheeled on the RAPT vehicle. "That was the Cybot that almost turned you into goo! I just save your ass, and I don't like you RAPT bastards." She calmed down and then radioed: "Ok, cops-"

"My name is Seargent Yamoto," the cop she had saved radioed indignantly. "My partner is Officer Hayashi."

"Ok, Yamoto, Hayashi," Jo said, "my name's Jo. We've been tracking that cybot for a couple of weeks and it's a pain in the butt. I get paid more if I bring it in without outside help, but right now, I don't care. So here's the deal: You help me bring it down and let my friends look it over forrrrrrrrrrrr…45 minutes, let's say, and you can keep the carcass and the credit and not even mention us in your report because I just want this thing gone. And if I get paid anyway, I'll split it with you or donate it to the RAPT widow's and orphans fund or whatever you want me to do with it, minus a case of hot sauce."

"Hot sauce?" Yamoto asked.

"Hot sauce," Jo said. "You in or not?"

"I'll need to get authorization," Yamoto replied.

"Sssuuurrrreeeee, you do that," Jo said. "I'm sure the nice flying cybot will stay put until we're ready to move on it."

Yamoto relented …almost. "If I go along with this and it doesn't work out-"

"You'll be glad you don't have to answer to my boss. You in or out?"

"All right. Who're you tied to?"

"Bailan Triad."

"This connected to any other crimes, Jo? You collecting on a debt or something?"

"Sergeant Yamoto, if you had been dealing with this thing, you would wish it was that simple, and you'd be getting as much sleep as I am over this thing…which is less than I usually get, and it's making me cranky."

Meg put in, "And if you knew Jo, you'd know that's saying something. Just sayin' you shouldn't drag this out."

"Short answer - no," Jo said.

Meg said, "The cybot's pilot is a person of interest to us. Put it that way."

"Ok," Yamoto said, "you bring your people up to speed, and I'll tell my station house we're supporting you."

Jo changed frequencies and explained the situation to Sei and Amy, who were back at the trailer.

Sei said, "I'm not happy about bringing RAPT into this, given our history and their apparent complicity with our enemy. But under the circumstance, I'll take all the help I can get. We'll monitor their frequency."

Jo changed back to the RAPT frequency. "We're in, and my people will help on your frequency. How're things on your end?"

"We're good to go," Yamoto said. "I've informed my station house that we are supporting the Bailan team in the apprehension of a person of interest unassociated with another crime. And we have airborne unit's a couple of minutes out who can track it if it tries to fly on us."

"Ok," Jo said. "It has mimetic camouflage and stealth technology, but that's better than nothing. Amy, where is it?"

"It's halfway along a row of containers four rows down from you, just sitting there."

Meg murmured, "'"Come into my parlor," said the spider to the fly.'"

"I don't like this," Jo said, "but I don't see we have any other options at this time. Yamoto, Hayahshi: Do exactly as I say. We role up on this thing quiet, no lights or sirens. I'll take the shot - I won't miss - and if I hit in the right place, maybe we can keep it down. Clear?"

The cops agreed.

"All right." Jo had Django draw a pistol. "Let's do this. Hayahsi, go around the other end of the containers. Yamoto, stay close. Neither of you fire unless fired upon."

The stacks of containers rose a couple hundred feet above the heads of the robots as they dropped into wheeled mode and crept along the roads on either side of the containers. But about halfway, Hayashi radioed, "Hold up."

The robots came to a halt. Jo radioed, "What is it?"

"Found something…" Hayashi answered. "It looks like the paint truck that went missing earlier."

"Paint truck?" Jo asked.

Amy chimed in, "Yeah, it was on the police scanners a couple of hours ago: Someone stole one of the trucks the highway department uses for painting lines on the roads."

"The vehicle itself appears to be intact," Hayashi went on, "but one of the tanks is missing, along with one of the pumps."

Yamoto said, "What could this guy want with a paint truck?"

"If we had visual communication, you would see my 'I don't care' face," Jo said. "Amy, is it still there?"

"Still there. Not moving."

"All right. Let's move in."

They got around the corner from the cybot. They could see it was standing there. The tanks from the paint truck were on the ground nearby.

"Ok…" Jo hissed, "on three…one…two…three!"

Jo and Yamoto came in from one end, Hayahsi from the other side. The cybot didn't react.

They crept closer to it. No reaction. Jo had Django reach out to touch it, and her the robot's hand went through the cybot. Then it vanished in a blaze of scan lines, leaving only a box with lenses on top on the ground beneath it.

Yamato said, "A holo projector. This thing was long gone by the time we got-"

Jo cried out in rage and brought Django's foot down on the box.

"That was evidence," Yamato admonished.

"Write me a ticket," Jo shot back. "Damn-"

"Uh, Jo?" Hayashi said. "Don you know anybody named Sei?"

"My boss. Why?"

"You should look at this."

Jo wheeled Dajngo around, and all three robots faced the containers behind them and the words that had been painted on the side of the containers in white, reflective road paint:

'SEI LOVES LITTLE BOYS.'

In the seat behind Jo, Meg breathed, "Holy…"

Sei radioed, "Jo, Meg - hold your position. I'm coming down."

"Roger on that," Jo said. She let go of the controls, sank back in her seat and cursed softly as she rubbed her temples.

"Jo?" Yamato said. "Never thought I'd say this to someone who I usually would try to bring in, but for what it's worth, I get it now."

"Still don't like you RAPT bastards," Jo said, "and I'll probably shoot you the next time I see you after we're done with this thing. But thanks anyway."


	28. Chapter 28

By the time Sei and Amy got to the pier, RAPT and the NPA had cordoned off the area, uniformed cops from both agencies controlling access to the area while forensics experts combed the scene for clues. Sei could tell from their body language and snippets of conversation that they were coming up with nothing.

As Sei read the writing on the container, Jo sidled up to her and whispered, "All right, Sei, what the hell is going on?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Jo."

"This thing isn't coming after *us,* Sei. It's coming after *you,* and we're going to be caught in the crossfire-"

"Jo-" Sei looked around and then lowered her voice. "I swear to you, I don't know what is going on or why this thing has fixated on me. If I did know, there would be no risk to you and the others because I would deal with it personally." She looked past Jo and saw two unmarked police cars coming though cordon; she recognized one of them as Suzuki and Bando's cruiser. "Oh, boy," Sei muttered. "Here we go…"

The other car was driven by Suzuki and Bando's commanding officer, a Captain Daizo Kobayashi. After he introduced himself to Sei, he said, "Given your history with one of my detectives, I have decided to take a personal interest in this case, to avoid any missteps. My only interest is in bringing a perpetrator to justice, regardless of who the victim is."

"Captain. I appreciated your professionalism. My employees and I will cooperate as much as we can without divulging proprietary information."

"As long as that doesn't compromise my investigation."

"Of course."

They walked a few steps closer to the containers.

Kobayshi said, "'Sei loves little boys.' First question: Is there any truth to that?"

"No, of course not."

"Why would someone say this about you?"

"No idea. Who are you investigating again, Captain?"

"Merely doing my job, ma'am. So do you think this thing is trying to…soil your good name?"

"It's trying to gain my notice. Fine. I've noticed. The best way to play a game like this is not to overreact."

"And you have no idea who is behind this."

"No."

"Yet it seems very…personal. Do you have any enemies who would do something like this?"

"No one who would stoop this low. And all of them would no better."

"Yet you say this thing has been after you for weeks, Sei?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Then you have a stalker." He turned to Suzuki and Bando. "Detectives. Take the girls' witness statements."

"Witness?" Suzuki stammered. "We're treating *her* as the victim?"

Sei said, "And I am not inclined to let the police do more than they have already. I can handle this."

Kobayshi said, "Detective Suzuki, we do not have the luxury of determining who does and does not deserve our assistance. This woman has a stalker, and that puts this case under our purview. If you can not do your job, I will assign this case to someone who will. Understood?"

Kobayshi nodded. "Captain."

Kobayshi turned to Sei. "And as for you. I don't like you anymore than my detective does, and if I could run you out of Tokyo, I would do it in a heartbeat. But I have seen firsthand how devastating stalking can be. No one deserves that, no one. I am sure your … computer expert will tell you that so far this year in Tokyo alone, 18 women have been murdered by stalkers. No matter how much distaste I have for you personally, I will not have you become a statistic, not on my watch."

"I am no ordinary woman."

"You appear to have no ordinary stalker."

Sei relented. "No proprietary information."

"As agreed."

As the girls gathered with Suzuki and Bando, Kobayshi turned back to the containers and muttered, "And so the trip down the rabbit hole begins."


	29. Chapter 29

Leo looked up as the Fiat pulled into his garage and screeched to a halt next to Sei's sports car. It was the day after the … odd encounter with the cybot on the docks, and Sei had dropped her car off at Leo's and taken a cab into town without a word of explanation. When he'd gone to the trailer to modify Django for sustained flight, no one had heard from her all day, and the other girls were getting worried. The last thing on Leo's mind was dealing with another customer.

A young woman in a business suit about Sei's age got out of the Fiat.

Leo said, "Can I help you?"

"It's me, Leo."

"Sei!?" Now that she had spoken, he could see that it was her. But her clothes and her hair style, even the way she held herself for a moment were so different from normal he'd thought it was somebody else.

Sei got a suit carrier out of the trunk of her sports car and tossed Leo a flash drive a she walked past him. She said, "I want that transferred to your personal server. Highest priority, eyes only. Bury it so deep Amy couldn't find it."

"What's on it?"

"Need to know. I'll use your bathroom." The bathroom door shut.

'Need to know my ass,' he thought as he loaded the flash drive onto his desktop computer. The files were password protected, but Leo took a guess and opened them on the first try. His screen filled up with shot after shot of Kyohei - entering Love and Happy, leaving it for lunch with Daiki and Azumi, eating with them at an outdoor restaurant, returning to the school.

Leo's back stiffened. This had gone on long enough. "Sei!" he shouted. "We have to talk."

Her voice came through the closed door: "I told you not to look! How did you gain access, anyway?"

"'Master patissier' is kind of obvious for a password. What the hell are you doing?"

Sei came out of the bathroom in her normal white halter top, brown pants and blue coat. "Since you couldn't leave well enough alone," she said as she put her hair in its normal bun, "you might as well help." She leaned over the desktop monitor and began to go through the photos. "I'm going to want facial recognition done on everyone other than him and his friends. See if someone shows up more than once."

"Excuse me?"

"All this talk of how Subject Zero is stalking me made me wonder if Eriko could really be someone stalking Kyohei, and the special app is just a blind. So it would really be someone close by, watching him, pretending to be Eriko."

"So you think it takes a stalker to catch a stalker? That's a new one."

"Leo-"

"Sei, three nights ago you almost knocked my teeth out with your tongue at the very suggestion that you might be jealous of Kyohei. Then you go pull something like this-"

Sei spun towards him. "I am not jealous! Why can't anyone get that? I have no romantic feelings for Kyohei at all. I'm happy he…has a new girlfriend. As a friend, I want to be sure that's all it is." She turned back to the desktop.

"I see," Leo said. "And if he brought Eriko to the trailer, you wouldn't be bothered by that?"

Sei didn't look at him. "Of course."

"And if he told you they were moving in together, that he was going to take a pass on France, and he didn't need to work for you?"

Sei didn't answer, focusing on her work.

Leo prodded, "And if he said he was going to use the money he'd saved for France to buy her an engagement ring?"

Sei still wouldn't look at him. "He wouldn't go that far so fast."

"What makes you say that?"

No answer.

Leo sat on the edge of the desk and said quietly: "Sei, he's just an ordinary 16 year old kid. He's a good kid. Braver than most people give him credit. He tries to do the right thing. And I think we can agree he…likes you a lot. But he's not cut out for this. He doesn't end up in trouble nearly as much as Meg, but he can be a hassle. And he almost broke his back catching you at Tokyo fortune Island. And you intimidate him."

Now she looked at him. "I've never done anything to intimidate him, Leo!"

"Haven't you, Sei? Amy told me how the day you went to get him back after he quit, you had her track his cell phone and hack the building's security cameras so you would know exactly where he was. What did you do, call from across the street and tell him to look out the window?"

"As a matter of fact, I did."

"Wonderful. Now he thinks that if he quits again, you'll send Jo after him."

"I wouldn't! Kyo can leave any time he wants."

"Can he?"

"Of course."

Leo pointed at the monitor. "Then explain that. Because no one is going to buy your stalker theory."

Sei let go of the mouse, straightened, and stood there. "What do you want me to say, Leo?"

"Sei…are you in love with Kyohei?"

"No."

"Well?"

Sei sighed, closed the windows on the monitor, and handed Leo the flash drive. "Toss that in the incinerator. Then make sure there are no traces of the contents on your system."

"I know the drill. What are you going to tell the girls?"

"I'll tell them you and I had to talk a friend out of doing something stupid. Which isn't too far from the truth."


	30. Chapter 30

"Kyohei?" Mrs. Genji said. "Can I speak to you for a moment?"

"Certainly." Kyo came over from hanging up his chef's uniform.

"Do you have a few minutes before you go home?" Genji asked.

"Why?"

"Eriko would like to meet you."

"I.." Kyo stammered in surprise. "Sure!"

"Follow me, please."

She led Kyo to her office. There was a cup with some green fluid in it on the desk.

"Wait here," the old woman said. "Eriko asks you have the drink first." She left.

'And I thought Sei and the girls were weird,' Kyo thought. He's considered Eriko normal compared to Sei and the others, but the lengths she was going to to conceal her identity were beginning to bother him. But he supposed he could play along a little longer.

He tried the drink. It was minty and burned its way down, like alcohol but not quite. He drank it all and waited.

After fifteen minutes, he was beginning to get impatient when he heard Eriko's music playing from some hidden speakers.

"Hi, Kyohei," said her synthesized voice.

"Eriko?" she said. "What's going on? Where are you?"

"I'm close by. I just wanted to be sure you were ready."

"Eriko…you know, I like you, but I'm getting tired of these games. Whatever else you can say about the girls, they wouldn't put me through something like this."

"I suppose. I just had know I could trust you. My appearance will shock you, and I wanted to be sure you're ready. I don't want you to run away."

"I won't. Promise."

"All right. Don't say I didn't warn you." A bookcase behind the desk slid aside. Kyo could see a spiral staircase in there. "I'm waiting for you at the bottom of the staircase."

Kyo crept down the staircase. It led to a room with a plush carpet and wood-paneled walls. It reminded him of a little girl's room: Stuffed animals, boy band posters, and a massive home entertainment system. There were two metal doors in one wall. There was a table and two chairs to one side. And in the middle of the room…

It was floating there on some kind of metal platform with tentacles hanging down from it: A glowing brain slightly smaller than his head, but it still seemed … odd, the wrong size … but compared to what?

Kyo slowed his pace down the steps, freezing in mid step just short of the bottom. "What…the…"

"Hello, Kyohei." Eriko's electronic voice came from a speaker in the platform.

"Eriko!?"

"It's me," a girlish giggle entering the synthetic voice. "I told you I was the ultimate quadriplegic."

"To put it mildly." He crept towards the brain on its platform. "I'm guessing your drink is why I'm not pooping in my pants right now?"

"You guess right. I just wanted you to be relaxed."

"No kidding…What's keeping you off the ground? I can't see any motors in that thing."

"I don't know. I think I'm doing it."

"How?"

"No idea. The files have something about nanobots and zero point energy. I don't understand it."

"Huh…Eriko, my friends-"

"No, Kyo, please, they won't understand. And Bailan wants to turn me into soup." One tentacle reached out and touched his hand. "I…I promise I will reveal myself to your friends when I'm ready. Just not yet. I have to be sure I can trust them, too. Ok?"

"Ok." He sat on one of the chairs.

The brain - Eriko - drifted closer. "Not what you expected."

"No. It's….I thought you were normal, Eiko-"

"I am normal, Kyo! It's just I misplaced 99% of me."

He chuckled. "Good one."

"It's either laugh or go crazy." The brain dipped a little as her voice turned more somber. "I'm sorry I misled you. No, I'm not 'normal,' but I have the same thoughts and feelings any girl would. And I'm not half insane or out to kill you. I would never do anything to hurt you, Kyohei. If anything, I've helped you, haven't I?"

"Yeah, you have. My first day with the girls was a nightmare. This place is heaven. And you … yeah, so what if you're just a brain. You can be nice."

"I'm glad you think so, Kyo. But what happened your first day with the girls?"

"I got kidnapped because these goons thought I was their friend, Eriko. Then Meg helped me and she got kidnapped. And Django almost landed on me. Then Jo almost shot my junk off-"

"That's terrible."

"Yeah, and then I have to go to them for help… never bothered me before."

"You shouldn't have to rely on them."

"That's a point."

"Would you like to learn how to defend yourself, Kyo?"

"Yes, Eriko. I would."

"Come with me."

One of the doors opened, and Kyo followed Eriko through it into a large room about twenty meters on a side. The walls were lined with martial arts weapons, and there were all sorts of guns locked in cage at the back. The floor was covered with crash mats, punching bags in the corner. A robot with padded targets on its body stood at the far end of the crash mat, raised its head, and walked into the middle.

Eriko asked, "Do you think you could stay a little while longer? I can get you started."

"Ok."

"Take your shoes off."

Kyo did. He stepped onto the mat, and the robot stood next to him, facing the same direction.

"We'll start with stances and footwork exercises," Eriko said. "Just imitate what the robot does as best you can…"


	31. Chapter 31

When Ohata Bando came out of the elevator at her squad room's floor, an attractive thirty-something woman got in, followed by two men in business suits. Ohato went down the hall and through the glass doors into the squad room that was a mix of high tech and worn plaster. Eiji Suzuki waved her over to their desks. He took the Styrofoam box she'd been carrying from her and said, "You saw our guest?" He opened the box and dug into the food inside.

Ohato nodded. "Is she the reason you couldn't join me for lunch?"

Eiji nodded and smiled. "Another member of Sei's fan club - how she couldn't possibly be doing something to poor Kyohei; we're beasts for going after the poor little mobster."

Ohato sat down. "And did she say she knows that because she caught them making love? Because I can't see why you'd be smiling if we hadn't got a break in the case."

"She didn't, but she had one funny story to tell. At least, I think it was funny. That woman is one of the top event planners in Tokyo, but seven years ago, she was a high-priced call girl working for one of Bailan's outcall operations. One of her clients was a sumo wrestler who'd married into Bailan - that fact alone causing trouble - and when he started stalking Miss Former Hooker, things got a little sticky. So Laoban assigned Sei, who was 12 at the time, to be her bodyguard while they sorted things out, and as they spent time together they became friends and have been friends to this day. Hence, her membership in the Sei fan club. Anyway, the wrestler made his move, and Sei put the guy in traction. Twelve years old, she takes out a guy two or three times her size, and all she did was break a nail. And I'm pretty sure I know who the wrestler was because about that time one had to bow out of a match because of a 'traffic accident.'"

"Twelve year old takes out Sumo wrestler," Ohato deadpanned. "Very funny. Ha, ha."

"The funny part is this all happened about the same time Sei's boobs came in. One day, she was as flat as a pancake, and the next - poom!" Eiji cupped his hands above his pecs. "And she was horrified. She confided in her client that she was going to have her breasts surgically removed. Not reduced - completely removed, a total double mastectomy. Her exact words were - wait- this is genius -" Eiji flipped the pages of his spiral bound paper notebook to the page he wanted. "- Here we are - 'Sei told me, "How can I represent Bailan in negotiations with other syndicates and be taken seriously if I look like this?"' The ex-call girl talked her out of it - she said, 'it took some doing, but once I convinced her that her appearance could be an asset in dealing with men, she relented.'" Eiji dropped the notebook, leaned back in his chair, and chuckled. "Can you imagine? 12 years old and she wanted to get rid of her breasts because she was afraid the Yakuza wouldn't respect her? Have you ever heard anything more ridiculous? If my daughter had a rack like that she'd- Hello? Ohato?"

Ohata was sitting at her desk with an aghast expression. Then she got up and went to the media center that dominated one end of the squad room. She tabbed a keyboard and called up an image of Sei.

Eiji came up behind her. "What's got into you, Ohato?"

"It all makes sense, now, Eiji - the way she dresses, how she surrounds herself with teenagers. Odds are our favorite FBI profiler would say it's a combination of acting out and trying to regain her lost childhood."

"Are you serious?"

"You said it yourself - she incapacitated a sumo wrestler when she was 12. What kind of training would that take, for how long? And negotiating with other synidicates? At that age? Ever meet any 12 year olds who worry about that? Laoban wouldn't let her be a normal little girl, and at some level, she's trying to get that back before she's too old. Kyohei could be the first boy in her own age bracket she's had anything resembling any kind of normal relationship with." Ohato's jaw hardened. "That's it. I'm done with this 'molestation' case."

"Ohato. You're serious."

"We've been treating Sei like a perp, Eiji, hoping investigating the cybot will lead to evidence against her. But in fact, she's the most pathetic victim of all. If anything, we should be investigating Laoban for how he ruined her life."

"And you'd give her a pass on hurting Kyohei?"

"If we uncover actual hard evidence that she is physically hurting him, then yes, I will back you all the way. But if we learn Sei and Kyohei are engaged in a consensual relationship, I'm recusing myself from this investigation. I don't care what the letter of the law is in what prefectures - if he makes her happy, then I won't stand between them. And if you have a heart, you won't either."

"Well, it may be a moot point. We're gaining zero tractions on all fronts: RAPT and Bailan have traded notes with us on the cybot, and while Bailan is holding stuff back, it's agreed that we all have nothing. On the predator side of it, Sei hasn't left Japan since hiring Kyohei, and when she did, she didn't go anywhere near any child prostitution hot spots. There isn't any chatter in online chat rooms pedophiles use that can be traced back to her. Hell, her contribution to Bailan's human trafficking operation was to help make it so humane, no one has the heart to shut it down; Koruken is a close second in that regard. Right after you left, the cap'n said that if something doesn't break in a couple of days, we're going to drop it. And I can see his point."

"Wow. For you, that counts as coming to your senses."

"Very funny."


End file.
